Lorraine planned to stop by the supermarket after picking Judy up from preschool; what she hadn't anticipated was buying a pint of strawberry ice cream. Both she and Ed were proud of how their daughter comforted another child and wanted to reward her in some small way (they didn't tell Judy the reason they bought the dessert because they didn't want her to think every good deed in life deserved a reward, but they wanted to do something special nonetheless).
It wasn't until Judy finished the last of her dinner and was watching television that Lorraine and Ed had a moment alone.
"I couldn't be more proud of her," Lorraine said, reaching across the table and taking Ed's hand as she watched her daughter in the other room.
Ed gave her hand a squeeze. "It's amazing to see the person she's becoming,"
"Gosh," Lorraine rested her chin on her hand, a faraway look in her eyes. "Doesn't it feel like just yesterday we were taking turns rocking our baby to sleep?"
"It does,"
"And now she's already comforting others in need,"
Ed smiled. "She gets it from her mother,"
Lorraine gave him a playful shove. "She gets just as much of it from you,"
They stared at each other, admiration shining in each other's eyes. There was nothing but love for each other and their daughter; it was everything they had ever wanted.