chirping

When Ben and I were dating, he gave me a copy of Eric Carle's "The Very Quiet Cricket." It is a sweet little tale about a cricket who tries to find his chirp as he greets all types of insects. He doesn't actually make a sound until the very end of the book, when he meets a female cricket, and lucky for him she happens to think it's the most beautiful sound she's ever heard. Inside my copy was a small handwritten note that said, "It's when I'm with you that I find myself chirping."

I loved the book for two reasons: first of all, it reminded me of growing up on a farm, where I fell asleep to the sound of crickets every summer night. Also the simplicity and tenderness of the story, coupled with Ben's sweet note, cheered me to my core.

A few months ago they were selling board book copies at Costco and I picked one up for Maddie, complete with the "chirping" page at the very end. For the past few days, Maddie has wanted to take her cricket book to bed with her at naptimes. She must read it until she falls asleep, because long after her little chatter fades away, there is the sound of smitten crickets chirping through the monitor. To this day, the sound fills me with complete joy and my heart swells with love at this greatest of gifts: family.