Thursday 26 February 2009

Heartstrings.

While at my friends wedding recently, I was sitting on our big tongan picnic mat -at least 5 metres of woven coconut palm -under the spreading Morton Bay fig, and a little girl around 2 years old wandered up to me and plonked herself in my cross legged lap. I had spied her earlier. How could I not? Her dad was Sri Lankan and her mother a whitey like me...... Dark curls and big dark eyes........ and I thought "Can I borrow you for a little while? I just need to know what it is like to hold someone like you."

In truth I am sure that neither she nor her parents would particurlarly appreciate a stranger holding and kissing and crying over her.

But for that little moment, it felt, so ........ right.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've had moments like that... usually when I spy toddlers who are of Indian origin or samoan or kiwi... I stare in a kind of awe, knowing our baby girl would have similar overtones, similar big gooey black eyes... usually the parents are good with this. I wait for the day when they look at me with suspicion, as you arguably would if you saw a big brown woman with tattoos staring at your kids.

The moment sounds perfect.

Wish we had our little angel toddlers.
One day.
One day.

Michele said...

I have that with babies sometimes. It's hard to hold them, but yet feels so right... We have a friend whose daughter was born around the birth of our twins. Holding her kills me, but... I can't help it. Recently another person we know had a little girl, a few days after Alexander, and Peter's cousins had twins (sadly only one little boy survived) 4 days before Alex. Seeing him was really hard but good too... Sometimes I think they are saying "Mommy, we're here, too." :) At least, I hope...

Lori Lavender Luz said...

I had painful/exhilarating moments like that, too. I bet it felt exquisite to have her sit in your lap, even for just a few moments.

G$ said...

It's so strange how some children are so in tuned to our thoughts. I swear they follow me sometimes, grab my hand and look up at me with eyes that penetrate my soul.

luna said...

borrowed baby love can be a beautiful thing. even if our arms are empty in the end, for those moments it can be precious.

Kami said...

I avoided babies like the plague and held no baby or young child from the time I held Ernest until I held LB. Perhaps I missed out.

I'm glad you enjoyed a moment. I continue to wish for you an over abundance of moments.

mrsmuelly said...

Awww, what an amazing moment. I do believe that kids have another sense about them that makes them know what we need. She was there (in your lap) because she knew.

Anonymous said...

Reading this actually made me smile, I picture you sitting and smiling at her. I know it was only for a moment, but as we know moments can last a lifetime.

Anonymous said...

What a prefectly captured moment. Very touching.