Walking in the door, his little feet patter.

He runs across the hallway, screaming your name.

You stretch out your arms, and he jumps in.

Baby oil, his mother's purfume, and a hint of lemon--

His hair tickles your nose and he laughs.

"I missed you," you whisper into his ear.

"I missed you too," he replies, and you wonder...

how you could ever love anything as much as you love him?

Again, he giggles as you set him down.

A box in the corner is his next destination.

Train tracks, action figures, and colored pencils--

You watch him play as he tells you about the store.

His tower falls over, and he builds it again. 

His joy is infectious, and you find yourself catching it. 

Failures, anxieties, and faulty medications--

He doesn't know the bad things that you know.

"I'm hungry," he whines, and forgets his tunnel.

"Then let's get a snack!" you respond, and walk to the kitchen.

He reaches for the container with his name written on it.

Cookies, crackers, and fruit-flavored gummies--

the simplest things can make light him up.

You sit down, and eat some too.

As you talk with him and watch him chuckle,

you begin to feel something you hadn't in all day. 

Because every week, without fail, his little smile makes it all worthwhile.