The Kiss You Give

...the tenderness of a parents heart...

Oh, a kiss! Such variety of meaning can be found in this little gesture. For little ones it is the tenderness of a parents heart; of them finding joy and wonder in their child. As they learn to crawl, walk, and become their own person, it's a wet smack during play time or comes accompanied by a mispronounced "I love you'. In school, a kiss becomes a thing to be wiped off, a "your beard tickles" moment, or the way you get cooties. It conveys safety and security to the sick child, comfort for the wounded knees and scraped palms, and makes monsters shrivel under beds during the wee hours of the night.

Mood Rings and Offshore Phone Calls

Do you remember mood rings? I never had one, but I had a few friends who did. The basic premise is that our body temperature changes depending on how we are feeling. The crystals in the ring are extremely sensitive to heat changes with different colors representing a higher or lower body temp. There is some correlation between stress and body temperature, so there might be some truth to the mood ring. I wish my wife had worn a mood ring before we started dating. If she had, I might have had a clue that she was interested. By her account, she waited for me to ask her out for over a year. She's even told me how irritated she would get when I would go out on dates with another girl during that year. Deep down I still believe she should have said something. Maybe she could have passed one of those notes from the third grade during Sunday School...(Circle yes or no if you'll be my boyfriend). Maybe not, I probably would have fallen off my chair if that would have happened. I bring all this up to say that I had no clue what was in this young lady's heart. God, however knows the hearts of all men.