While in the midst of the marathon attempt at cleaning house ("attempt" because every time I cleaned, someone in the house would drop something, move something, accrete something, and the "cleaning" would be, once again, messed up), I found a bag.

The bag contained books from OmegaBro & family, leftover from when their kids were toddlers/preschoolers.  I rummaged through the bag, realized what a trove it was, went through the books, and placed most of them on OmegaDotter's bookshelf.

One, however, I kept aside.

Titled "Little Star", it's the tale of a young Indian girl, Little Star, who (whaddasurprise) loves horses.  She is given a beaded necklace by her grandmother, a necklace that will grant her one wish.  She encounters numerous situations where she wants to use her wish, but finally uses it to help save a mare in foal...and her father gives her the foal, which has a star upon its forehead.

Well, of course I had to pull it out for OmegaDotter.  Much more to her tastes than, say, "Big Dinosaurs of the World" (from the nephew's collection).  (Though she'll like that, too, but not half as much.)

I snuck it beneath her brand new "Raggedy Ann" book by our bedside.

When bedtime came about, OmegaDotter went to get "Raggedy Ann"...and found "Little Star" just beneath it.  She took in a breath...she leafed through it...she demanded we read it for her bedtime story.

She snuggled down beside me, handed me the book, and said, "Whose book is this?"

I told her the story of the bag of books, and said, "It's yours, lovey."

"Mine...?!" she breathed.

"Yours."

"You saved it for me?"

"Of course, lovey."

She had such a smile of shining, trusting joy on her face.  It's hard to describe, but it was the essence of "you saved this special book just for me, and it's so exciting, and I love you so very much for knowing I would like it."  She kept sneaking little sparkling sideways looks at me with that special smile of joy while I read the story.  Then, when she snuggled down in her little bed besides ours, she still had that smile on her face.

Man.  That was just...well, if I could bottle that special moment up, I would, so I could take it out again on cold, grey, drizzly days, just to feel all warm and wiggly inside again.  One of the shining moments of motherhood, that's for sure.

Technorati: Motherhood