Alexis had a poster-board project to do for school.
She was in a bad mood.
She was not being cooperative or enthusiastic and so I said, "Go on. Come back in a little while when you feel happier and really want to work on this project," and she jumped down from the desk chair, smiled at me most appreciatively and ran away.
I woke up - that same day - in a similar bad mood.
I don't know what exactly it was that put me in the foul mood, but it just seemed to grow progressively worse as the day wore on. I was not in the mood to temper her bad mood at the time and so I offered to postpone the work and it was a good decision for the both of us.
I went about my business.
About 30 minutes later, I went downstairs, pulled something frozen from the freezer for dinner and sat it on the counter. I was lingering around the sink when, suddenly, Alexis appeared out of nowhere and said, "Hi Mom."
I responded with, "Hi Hon," and she walked away.
My mood was still frazzled and I was on edge - pulling the full bag of trash from the kitchen trash can and angrily dropping the nasty bag to the floor. I then stomped over and grabbed the broom and began to push it feverishly across the tile. I emptied the pan.
Fifteen or twenty minutes later, after washing the dishes, wiping the counters and emptying the dishwasher, I moved from the kitchen towards the laundry room, pushing chairs up under the kitchen table, picking up shoes and tossing them on the stairs and hanging a discarded coat in the hall closet, on my way. Huffing and mumbling. A frown on my face.
Walking through the family room, just before I get to the laundry room door, Alexis yells across the room in my direction, "Hi Mom," and smiles.
I responded with, "Hi Hon, whatcha doing?" and went on to the washer to load the tub.
I finished my chores on the first level and went back upstairs, where there I began to address the untidy beds and disorganized bedrooms. It took me a while and I was in my son's room when Alexis appeared in the doorway, holding a toy in her hand and she says again, "Hi Mom."
I looked up.
I stopped what I was doing.
I smiled.
On the upside ... That child could sense my bad mood - my unhappiness. She did her very best, at every turn, to help me out with all she had to offer. What she doesn't realize is that ... I remember every single moment that she took the time to say, "Hi Mom." That I really saw her and I heard her. That it helped more than she will ever know!