Kisses that Heal

I don't remember ever telling my son that a kiss would heal his pain.  I know that at times, when he's crying after a tumble or because of a small cut, I have offered him a kiss.  I never thought of the kiss as a band-aid, only as a reminder that I love him and that I'm here to offer him comfort whenever he needs it.

Yesterday, I mentioned to my son that I was feeling sick.  "It's okay," he told me.  "It's okay mommy.  Don't worry."  Then he turned and kissed me two times.  "It's okay mommy.  Now you're feeling better."  I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.  I'm feeling better, am I?  That was a quick and easy remedy.  If only it were that simple.  It made me wonder as to where in the world he got this idea--that kisses had some kind of magical healing powers.  Certainly, he must be aware that when I kiss him, the pain doesn't go away.

So I walked away smiling at the wonder of children, at how their small minds process things like kisses and healing.  But the more I thought of it, the more I thought that my son was kind of right.  Kisses may not be able to heal the physical aspects of my sickness, but what does it do to the emotional aspects of my sickness?  When I'm sick, I'm often tired, impatient, annoyed and miserable.  What can a kiss do to those feelings?   I imagine you know the answer to that question.  When my son gave me two kisses, I feel a little less tired, impatient, annoyed and miserable.  And while I was still coughing and pulling tissue after tissue out of the box, my heart was a little lighter.

I know that in my own life, I seek out comfort when I'm in pain.  When I was in labor for both of my children, I had no delusions that my husband would ease my burden.  Yet, having him there was an emotional comfort that I couldn't do without.

I'm realizing now that my son's way of thinking about a kiss isn't that far gone from the reality.  Sometimes being comforted in our pain is just as important as the release from the pain itself.