All you need is love...

Listening to the kids run around upstairs this morning.

Jumping, giggling, ka-powing, toilet flushing loveliness....until the inevitable....crying and then blaming.

Katie's threatening to come downstairs and tell me what's happened, Robin's frantically apologizing.

I hear Katie's footsteps down the stairs....and half way down, the footsteps stop.  Robin's upset with her, saying she blames him for everything.  He's preventing her from coming down the stairs to talk to me.  He's overreacting and she can't even get a word out of her mouth without an interruption from him.

I decide it's time for me to stop making breakfast and get involved in the altercation.

I stand at the bottom of the stairs, looking at them.  They are eyeball to eyeball, no one is standing down.  Robin breaks eye contact first and looks at me.  "Mom, she blames me for everything!  Is everything my fault?!"

I say, "Yes, Robin.  Absolutely everything is your fault.  Get used to it."

He plops down on the stairs, crosses his arms and pouts, definitely not in the mood for my teasing.  Meanwhile Katie has walked down the stairs and is standing behind me, peaking up the stairs at Robin.  

I ask Robin for the story...I still don't know what happened....something about forgetting to flush the toilet....I'm trying to sort it out.  Robin's just getting more frustrated and flustered and aware of where he's wrong but still has no desire to admit or own any of his part in this whole thing.

His arms are waving around, he's loud and angry....and then Katie decides to walk back up the stairs.   

She plops on the step next to him.

He's still mad, pointing out where she's wrong and he isn't...and she scoots closer to him.

The more flustered he gets the closer she gets to him....one little cheek shuffle at a time.

Finally, she's right next to him, practically in his lap....he finally notices what she's doing and leans away, still irritated with her....and she gets closer to one flailing arm and plants a kiss on his shoulder.

"I love you Robin."

He immediately stops....looks at her and starts to laugh.....the anger gone, then they run up the stairs together and the giggling, ka-powing, super-heroing starts up again.

Jesus talked about loving your enemy. He said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." 

Katie showed Jesus to her brother today.  But what I love even more was Robin's heart in the whole ordeal.  He knew love and he accepted it....and I couldn't be more proud.

H :)