My Little Mampa

I want to tell you a secret about my little girl, Mampa. (that is my four year old’s nickname for her and it fits.)

One of the most amazing things that she has given us is her amazing hugs. She is only eighteen months old but she has already redefined the whole experience.  I always thought that I understood how to give and receive a hug – just wrap your arms around someone and squeeze. But when she hugs, it is so full and encompassing. 

For Mampa, the hug begins when she first sees you. Her whole face just brightens and she runs across the room with her arms open and a big smile on her face. 

She throws her whole little body into it, smooshing her little chubby cheeks right into mine. She holds me as tight as she possibly can, gives two little air kicks with her feet, releases and then squeezes tight again. Then she relaxes her hold and just rests her soft little face on mine and sighs that little Mampa sigh. I try to hold on to that moment for as long as I possibly can. I swear, I can’t get enough of these little hugs. 

Each little hug serves as a reminder to me that I have been so blessed in my life. During my twenties, I had an amazing time living in Hollywood doing all of the things that I had always dreamed about. Playing the Sunset strip, Lavish parties, movie studios…blah blah blah… but back then it was just me.  I was single and had a lifestyle that gave me a tremendous amount of freedom. I thought I was on top of the world. 

But now, living here in Nashville with my beautiful wife and three kids, I feel truly blessed. These four people are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I was telling my four year old today, that I waited my whole life to meet him – my best buddy* and it feels that way.  When I think back to when I was little or when I was in grade school, those memories are now colored with the knowledge that it all leads to this – my family. 

This time is so much fuller for me than my earlier successes. First, because it is a shared experience. Second because it forces me to be extremely vulnerable – a little scarier but more ultimately more rewarding. My happiness today is so much deeper and wider than I ever imagined that it could be. I had no idea that I was waiting my whole life to meet these four people and to learn what a hug really is.

* each one of my little ones is my “best buddy” we have a whole “best buddy” code and philosphy but that is another topic for another day