In a Heartbeat Post 3

One of the most important parts of the next section of the book for me was when both Sean and Leigh Anne were discussing Leigh Anne's nightly ritual with her children. Every single night she will venture into each child's room, kiss them on the forehead, and say "I love you". For most people, especially in this area, the simple act of saying goodnight and showing affection is common and not given a second thought. Leigh Anne thought the same thing. However, as soon as Michael became a permanent member of the family, he not only got his own bed and room, but was also immediately included in the nightly ritual. The first few times Leigh Anne said "I love you", there was no response at all which never really bothered her. However, on one night about three months after Michael first stayed with the Touhy's, Leigh Anne once again gave him a goodnight kiss and said "I love you" which was met with Michael uttering as she left the room "I love you too". This particular instance in the book really hit me because it was just another reinforcement that Michael was a true and loving member of the Touhy family. He was not a charity case the family took in out of pity, he was not thrown to the side after a few months, but he was then S.J.'s brother, Collins' brother, and Leigh Anne and Sean's second son. Race, size, and circumstance did not affect or alter the way his family viewed him because there was no way their care for each other could be measured. At one point early in the book, Sean and Leigh Anne make a point to say that what they did for Michael was nothing compared to what he has done for them. They are now a stronger, closer, and more loving family because Michael is now a part of their lives. Time after time people all around the world look right through the Michaels everywhere. He is a kid walking on the street with a bag full of clothes, he is a kid at school who doesn't seem to eat lunch because he doesn't have the money, and he is the boy who has had every obstacle taunting him to fail. It takes a special person to see that boy; black, white, tall, short, skinny, or large and love him for the person he is, not the judgments we may make. As Sean has said, "we all begin on the same page and we're all going to end on the same page".