I have always placed high importance on the phrase "I love you." When speaking to friends, family, kiddos at work, or whoever it may be- not having that phrase reciprocated has always broken my heart. The simple "love ya" when leaving a friend for a few minutes meant the world to me. It may seem silly, but it's just part of who I am.

So, this past year when I started my official work with children with special needs, I was in for the lesson of a lifetime. At first, it was hard to know that my kiddos who are non-verbal would never say that phrase back. No matter how much love and affection I poured into my time with them, they would never say "I love you" back to me. Even many of my kiddos who are verbal won't tell me they love me. I make it a point to tell each kid every day that I love them and care about them. They don't always say it back.

And that's okay.

It has to be okay.

Because here is what I have learned: we all show love in different ways. The way in which I best receive love isn't always going to be the way others best show it. As I have been so blessed to get to know each of these kids on an individual basis, I have learned to hear their "I love you" moments that don't come in the form of those words. I have learned to hear "I love you" when Diva asks me to hold her hand to go on a walk around the room. I hear "I love you" when I hold J's hand and he doesn't pull away. I hear "I love you" when Little Man tries on my boots and when Fe-man calls me "Miss Feather".

Maybe most of all, I have learned to hear "I love you" when I hear "I know". There have been so many times when I have told my kids "I love you" and they just say "I know" and walk away. At first, that was so hard for me. I thought it meant that they didn't love me back. But as I have grown to know them and as I have grown in all that Christ has been teaching me, I have realized that "I know" really means "I love you, too".

Because, really, all I want is for them to know I love them. That's all I want from anyone, really. I want them to know that they mean so much to me it makes my heart ache. I want them to know that I would move mountains for them. I want them to know that I will never stop loving them. I want them to feel that love and when they say "I know" and roll their eyes at me, I know that they know. I know that what I'm doing is giving them a picture of His unconditional love and that's all I really want. If all I ever hear again as a response is "I know" then my heart will be happy knowing that they know.