"HI JESUS!!"

I'm not sure how it happened, because I never did it as a child, but somewhere in the past 2 years of Juliana speaking, we have been saying "Hi Jesus!" to every Catholic church we pass.

We live in the 'burgh and there are A LOT of Catholic Churches...but the one we pass most of all is Samantha's school. Oh, you think, that's cause you take her and pick her up every other week. Nope, thank you Pittsburgh for busing private school kids with your public school buses! :) We pass said church because it's on the way to and home from Target.

We live at go to Target very regularly and when Juliana is not asking for directions on how to get to and home from our destination (it's her newest obsession "But Mommy, how we get there?...She's 2!), she is on the look out for Jesus.

On our way back from Target the other day, we pass the Church and I said "Juls, say hi to Jesus!"

HI JESUS!!!!!!!!

And then this happened.

Juls - Samantha, say hi to Jesus
Samantha -
Juls - Sam, say HI to Jesus!
Samantha - murmurs something under her breath
Juls - (really irritated by this point) Samantha! Say HI TO JESUS!!!
Samantha - I DID!
Juls - oh...I just didn't hear you. You should say it louder!

At this point, it hit me. This innocence that is still encompassing my sweet, sassy Juliana will leave her one day. She will begin to worry what people think of her love for Jesus. And that's Samantha at this point. She thought we were crazy saying Hi to Jesus, but ya know what? That's the example I want to set for her. I want her to know that Jesus is there, always and saying a casual Hi as you drive by is a good thing.

He is our friend. He is our Savior. He is our God. But he loves the innocence of a child. The unbroken trust that still lives in their hearts. The unquestioning love they possess to all they meet.

I hope that as they grow and enter into different stages in their lives, they can hold each other accountable in their relationship with the Lord. And if it starts with Juliana making sure Samantha says Hi to Jesus on our way home from Target, then that's how it's gotta be!