Kids Say the Darndest Things
By the time Peyton was in his preschool years, I had a journal half-filled with the silly and the wise things he would say. He was so vocal and expressive and I didn’t want to forget the way he saw the world and reported it to us. One time he said something that left such an impression on me that I would have remembered it whether I wrote it down or not. In fact, it would come to mind many times over the years.
Peyton was 4 years old and we had just nestled in close for a cuddle, his head on my chest, when suddenly he looked up at me astonished and said “Mama, I can hear your heart digesting!” I remember how much I absolutely loved those two words he put together and how perfectly they described what I was experiencing. Though the rumbling he referred to was probably a combination of my heartbeat and stomach noises, my heart was fully savoring that moment with him.
So I said, “Yes, Peyton, you’re right. My heart is digesting.”
A Quiet World
We are in a challenging time right now, but I’m struck with the thought that this COVID-19 pandemic, with the unique circumstances of having to stay at home, lends itself to hearts doing a lot of digesting. I’ve wondered how long it has been since the world was this quiet and we could hear our hearts so much more easily and more often. Thinking of this has made me even more grateful for the times Peyton and I have listened to each others’ hearts and I'm grateful that Peyton’s Potion is one of the best things to come from our listening. I am grateful for Joshua and Meghan and their big, huge hearts and the way they listen, too. And I'm grateful for all who have shared in the joy of owning a bottle of Peyton’s Potion and supporting childhood cancer research.
My heart is full.
Jess is Peyton’s mom and co-founder of Peyton’s Potion. She is a Life Story journal writer and storyteller. Jess has been keeping journals since she first learned to write. Her journal entries throughout Peyton’s cancer treatment were also posted regularly on caringbridge.org.