I like you

She laid her sleepy head upon her pillow
raised her little arms up to wrap around my neck
i felt the warmth of her breath tickle my ear
as she said, "Mommy, i like you."
my heart skipped a beat and my eyes filled with tears
for she is my life
and to hear she likes me
when all that is expected is for her to love me,
ahhh.......well.....
that is worth more to me than all the riches of the world
I squeezed her tight
feeling her smooth cheek against mine
smooth like satin
feeling strands of her freshly washed hair tickling my nose
smelling of strawberries and soap
and I relished the moment
I held her in my arms as I have countless times before
I held her and I stopped time
Thoughts of finishing the laundry
getting things ready for school tomorrow
phone call to be made
floors to be washed
all swept away with the blink of an eye
Our arms wrapped around each other
for but a moment
a ticking of the clock
a moment
a memory
that now resides inside my heart.