This morning my son and I were quietly sitting on the floor playing together. He was sitting in my lap, the hair of the back of his head brushing lightly against my lips, as we searched out and fit the pieces of a puzzle together. He stopped of a sudden, twisted around in place, put his arms around my neck, kissed my cheek and said, “I love you.”

It wasn’t the first time. He’s recently begun spontaneously letting his mom and I know his feelings for us. It wasn’t the first, but it is a joy each and every time. What came next was a first.

He turned himself back around and began scanning for another puzzle piece. After a moment he hesitated and cocked his head slightly to look at me out of the corner of his eye. With a shy half-smile he said, “You’re my best friend.”

That’s what sublime means.

Don’t tell his mom.