Two Fridays ago, my husband and I decided to order Chinese food. We hadn’t had it in forever and because I had a session that would run until 8pm, me picking something up was just more efficient than me cooking dinner at 8:30pm! So Kyle called the order in and I drove to pick it up after I was done shooting. I walked in, paid for our order, and heard little baby laughs coming from somewhere. I immediately and involuntarily started smiling — I mean, how can you not smile when a baby laughs? It’s just the sweetest sound in this world.

I looked around and didn’t see a baby anywhere though. Just a kitchen with people cooking and I was confused for a second. I then saw some stirring from the corner of my eye, glanced over, and it was a toddler, sitting on a mattress, in the supply closet of this Chinese takeout restaurant. 

At first thought, I was mad. I was mad that someone had put a tiny mattress in the supply closet and placed their child there. The closet was full of old dirty mops, paper towels, takeout containers, etc. The little boy looked maybe the same age as my daughter…around 18 months – 2 years.

The madness didn’t last long within my heart. Once the guy ringing me up was done, he went into the supply closet and laid with his son. He tickled him, the little boy laughed, and then the father kissed his son all over his face really quickly — you know how we do moms and dads — a million quick kisses all over our childs face and it makes them giggle and beam from ear to ear with happiness because they’re being shown love.

I watched this father play with his son and love on him in-between customers and it put a different message in my heart that night. That little boy didn’t realize he was hanging out in a supply closet. He didn’t realize it may be considered wrong to some people. He didn’t care… because he was loved. His father didn’t see it as bad because he got to have his son at work with him instead of in the care of someone else.

After a few minutes, the little boy said “mama”, and the woman bagging food came around, held him and loved on him too. He was under the same roof as his mom and dad, in his pajamas, being shown affection, attention, and LOVE! 

Isn’t that all that matters? Love? It comes in all shapes, sizes, under different roofs, in different languages, on different scales… but thats the beauty of it.

My heart couldn’t be mad at this anymore. I was just so happy this child was being shown so much love from his parents. He’ll grow up knowing love and thats what our world needs more of these days.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

1 Corinthians 13

It was no coincidence that I saw this through the window of a macaron shop in Norfolk during an engagement session. Once I saw it, I knew I had to take a picture of it! :)

I hope everyone has a beautiful day — remember to spread salt, light and love to everyone! Xo!