kale’a, my delightful girl

whenever i look at pictures of our second daughter i am always captivated by her eyes!  she was blessed with these light brown eyes edged with black.  if that wasn’t enough she was also blessed with these dark, long, thick lashes!  when she speaks to me i am always drawn to those eyes.  since she was a toddler her eyes have always been animated and full of life.  she communicates a lot through those eyes.

 

kale’a, in the hawaiian language means “delightful one” and we were right to give her this name.  this second child of ours is a delightful girl!  she is spirited, she is thoughtful, she cares for her sisters and for those around her!  she hungers for acceptance and love from her family and she enjoys being with us.  she is a leader with a great imagination.  she laughs easily and makes those around her laugh.  she is super creative and full of all sorts of fun ideas.  she is crazy fun and she is super silly.  she is smart and she loves her Savior.  she is a monkey that loves to climb up everything, higher than i wish she would, i might add.  she climbs trees, she climbs the walls in our house, she climbs up anything and everything!

 

 

i don’t think it is a secret that she and i clash more than i’d like.  kale’a is a very strong-willed girl. she is stubborn, as am i.  this, of course is never a good combination!  we have struggled a lot together!  it is not something that i am proud of, but it is something that i am very aware of and something that i have been trying  to overcome.

 

though we have struggled with this, kale’a seems to be drawn to her mommy!  it seems so strange to me that though we argue and fight often, she still has so much love for me.  i would think it would have pushed us further apart, but most of the time she prefers me over anyone else!  she demonstrates so perfectly the unconditional love of a child!

 

since i have been in the hospital she is the one who calls me everyday!  i can almost count on my cell phone ringing everyday between 3:00 and 4:00 when the girls get home from school.  i know that when i pick it up i will hear kale’a’s sweet voice saying, “hi, mama!”  i’ve begun to look forward to the daily phone call from this girl of mine when i can hear her voice and i can talk to her about her day.  it puts joy in my heart that she needs to call her mommy daily!

 

 

honestly, i think this separation between kale’a and i has been a good thing.  we are not constantly battling anymore. we have been removed from our daily contention and in that space we have been able to draw closer together and feel the spirit.  it is interesting to me how our Heavenly Father works.  this trial may not have anything to do with the boys, but it could have everything to do with the relationships within our family.  i might be wrong and i may never know in this lifetime, but for right now i can’t help but notice how peaceful the relationship between kale’a and i has become in the short two and a half weeks that i have been in the hospital!

 

yesterday morning, kale’a was dropped off at the hospital to spend two hours with me.  just like her sister before her, she packed a bag with books to read and games for us to play together.  when she walked into my hospital room she was trying to hide her excitement, but i could see it behind her giddy little smile!  it made my heart soar to see my delightful kale’a so happy to be with her mommy!

 

she hopped up into my hospital bed with me and we began to play “hiss”, a game where you make snakes by matching up color cards.  we were limited by the tiny space of my bedside table, but we managed just fine.  after that, we played a  teeny tiny game of  “trouble” which was located on the end of her pen that was given to her by a friend.  we played some with her legos and then the nurse came in to monitor the boys.

 

as she was hooking me up, kale’a began to help the nurse get things put together and was such a big help!  kale’a is always quick to help others, another wonderful quality of this sweet girl.  since i had to lay fairly still while being monitored we turned on the tv and watched an episode of the magic school bus. 

 

i loved laying next to this daughter that i have struggled with in so many ways and hearing her unbridled laughter. i loved that when i started tickling/scratching her back that she turned her back to me and lifted up her shirt so she could feel it better – that she would shift to the other side and tell me where she wanted me to tickle next.  this is one of the things that she asks me to do all the time. she loves the touch of my nails on her skin – i think it is a way for her to relax and feel close to me.

 

as i lay there next to kale’a, i wished that we could just stay like this forever, cuddled together in the peace and calm that surrounded us!  no contention and no frustrations, just peace and calm and the spirit! for kale’a and i, i feel, that this is what this trial is all about.

 

i love this delightful child of mine!  she pushes me to my limit and makes my life uncomfortable at times, but that is what we all need if we are to become better people, if we are to become like our Father in Heaven.  i love talking with her and seeing those beautiful, expressive eyes that tell me more than her words do.  i love her zest for life and her strong will! 

 

and today i am so grateful for the morning that i spent with her in my hospital room, just the two of us playing, laughing, and just being together.  i love this girl more than ever!