Friday, January 25, 2013

"On The Night You Were Born"

We just had a moment. Landon and I did.

We woke up this morning and he started sneezing, and his nose started running, and I started cursing because we literally have not left our house all week. We've gone NO where. So the fact that he apparently STILL managed to catch something, just really grinds my nerves.

So after not wanting to eat much breakfast, he brought me an armful of books, crawled up in my lap, snuggled in, and we started reading.

We have read "On The Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman before. A couple times, tops. It isn't filled with cows that he can moo at, or babies that he can kiss, so it's not one of his absolute favorites. But reading it today, I realized that it is, hands down, one of my favorites.

If you haven't read it, or you don't have it for your child, please, go buy it, and have a moment like Landon and I had together this morning.

Feel every word. Relate to every word. And if you're anything like me, cry over every word.

I won't sit here and type out the whole book, although, I really should so you get my point. But, it starts with Pslams 139 on the first page: "For you are fearfully and wonderfully made". I kick myself a little every time I walk into Landon's room and realize that this verse isn't displayed SOMEWHERE in his room. I've vowed to fix that, and to make sure that any future babies also have it in theirs. Because really, is it not the absolute truth?

I didn't even get through the first page without realizing that I hadn't paid close enough attention to this book the first few times we read it. And it took me back to that fateful night of May 19, 2011, which in some ways, was probably the worst, scariest night of my life. But in every single way that matters, it was the absolute best night I will ever have. I've already written his birth story, so I won't go down that long road again, even though every second of it all is replaying in my head right now. How did we get from there, to this TODDLER that will be TWO in four months? FOUR MONTHS!!!! TWO!!! I have FOUR months to plan a kick ass Diego party for my TWO YEAR OLD. But that's another story.

Annnnnyway. The first page, I have to share.
"On the night you were born, 
the moon smiled with such wonder 
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered,
"Life wil never be the same."
Because there had never been anyone like you...
ever in the world."

It goes on, for 14 more beautiful, heart wrenching pages. And on every page, I felt like good ol' Nancy Tillman was talking right to Landon and me. Mamas, please, do yourself a favor, if you don't have it already, go get this book. And be smarter than me, and put it up somewhere where little hands can't get it and destroy it. Thankfully, we only have a bent corner, but after this mornings "moment", it will be put in a special place. Maybe it will become our new tradition, to read it every morning, or every night, on his birthday. Maybe at exactly 9:21pm, so we can experience together, exactly what we experienced that night. Sounds like an amazing plan to me. 



"Heaven blew every trumpet, and played every horn, on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born."

2 comments:

  1. Kelly,
    Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy that my book has touched both of you!

    ~Nancy Tillman

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  2. Nancy,
    Thank YOU for finding my small corner of this huge internet and taking a moment to read! I have heard from so many individuals who were just as touched by your book, and it is clearly a household favorite! We are currently in search of the "board book" version to keep our hard back book in mint condition and away from unruly toddler hands! :)

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