The Sound of a Bell

I remember last year about this time I read H "The Polar Express" for the first time. It was a night when Liz was working and I read it to him by the Christmas tree, just he and I. He was barely six months and he just kind of sat there on my lap, slapping at the pictures. For whatever reason I started getting choked up at certain parts.

Tonight we were getting ready for bed and he was very adamant about reading "The Polar Express" I am guessing because he and Liz have been reading it, as it was sitting on the dresser. Again I couldn't help but get choked up reading it, and I think it was for very much the same reason as last year.

The story is about having the child-like belief in something. And as H sat there on my lap, crazily pointing out the train and the reindeer and the wolves, I couldn't help but look at the back of his tiny little head - moving back and forth with every flip of the page - and think of how awesome it all was. How he is just starting to understand the world around him and how he will get to believe in all of these wonderful things - how his slate is clean and how much fun is in store for him. I also think that a part of me remembers what it was like to have that innocence, to believe in that bell.

I know sadly we all stop hearing the bell, it sucks. So I have a wish for you...If you get a chance this Christmas close your eyes and remember back to the days of when a shiny bell could capture your imagination. Close your eyes and see if you can hear the bell and let a little piece of that inner child - the one who still believes that if you wish hard enough anything can come true - let that child out, even if just for a few moments.