Sweetness...

Laughter is good but every once in awhile it's nice to have something simple and sweet to tug at your heart strings.  That's our little Ellie.  Don't get me wrong.  She keeps us laughing too, but her sweetness has an impact on everyone she meets.

At a family gathering recently, Ellie was being awfully shy around my side of the family.  She doesn't see them often and it takes her some time to warm up to the cousins and even longer to warm up to the aunts and uncles.  Uncle Mark has a way with children and always manages to get the kids to warm up to him fairly quickly.  Every time he came near Ellie, he would wrap her up in a hug and say "Uncle Markie loves you".  Little did I know that this occurred several times throughout the day.  As the family members went their separate ways that evening and I gathered our bags and suitcases, I heard a little voice chanting behind me.  I smiled as I heard Ellie's sweet little voice, and as I focused in to make sense of her toddler talk, I realized she was repeating "Uncle Markie loves me".  My smile grew and as I turned around I identified a small photo of Uncle Mark on the table beside the dresser.  And there stood Ellie, gazing at her loving uncle and repeating with the sweetest expression "Uncle Markie loves me."  And I whispered, "Yes Ellie, Uncle Markie loves you" and wrapped her up in a hug.