My little Jewel has been sick of late, and not sleeping well. So it has been a relief when she sleeps all the way through the night, and is still asleep as I leave for work in the morning. This morning, as I was heading out, I saw her little head pop up at the last moment. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to say goodbye, I went to her as she lay back down, sleepy-eyed. I placed my hand on her face, smoothing out her hair and brushing it out of her eyes.

She looked up at me, and through half-opened eye lids smiled at me. She then took my hand in between her two little ones and squeezed it, pressing it close to her chest. It was so touching, because it looked like she was hugging her favorite teddy bear. She smiled again, closed her eyes, and drifted back to her slumber.