They’ll see and learn what marriage is. They’ll see how we give. They’ll see how we receive

“Something for Mommy!”

I open it tentatively.

A new siddur.

But I have a siddur.

I love my old siddur. We’ve been together for more years than I can remember.

I don’t want a new one.

The children are watching, the rift of rejection is hanging over us.

They’ll see who I am, what I do. They’ll see and learn what marriage is. They’ll see how we give. They’ll see how we receive.

I pause for a second and smile. “Wow!” I say, “I love it.”

The Present

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 773)