Children are like little sponges, absorbing all of the emotion and information around them.
For little Kashton Johnson of Orlando, Florida, the feelings he’d been taking in for months finally rushed to the surface as he lay in bed, gazing into the eyes of his baby sister. For the past two months, Kashton had only been able to look at his sister Ellis through the plastic of an incubator crib in the NICU.
Now that she was finally home, the boy was overcome with love for her and overwhelmed by the beauty of this perfect, simple moment.
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As Ellis lay on her back on a blanket, Kashton began to sing a sweet lullaby to his sister. The infant squirmed and wriggled her arms and legs, turning her head towards the sound of her big brother’s voice. Within seconds, Kashton’s eyes welled up with tears.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” asked mom Corey Johnson. “I’m crying ‘cuz it’s good,” Kashton says in a very matter-of-fact manner.
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Corey was moved beyond words by the empathy displayed by her 4-year-old son. When she tells him he’s going to make her cry too, he nods and continues wiping away the tears from his eyes. “I’m crying ‘cuz it’s good,” the child repeats. “It’s so beautiful, like this, with Ellis.”
Corey knew she was witnessing such a special moment between siblings that she just had to share it with the world. She posted the video on Facebook along with the caption:
Although I selfishly keep beautiful moments like this off of Facebook and cherish them privately, today I accidentally captured one of the most amazing moments on video. I don’t just see a big brother loving his baby sister, I see the *beauty* of our story he refers to. To know my 4 year old is able to feel deep emotion was breathtaking. His love and thankfulness for Ellis was almost palpable. This can only be described as true love…
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Ellis was born prematurely, weighing just 2 pounds, 3 ounces at birth. Both she and Corey had fought for their lives after a traumatic birth, and the family was struggling to get back to normal when this video was taken.
She was born without a heartbeat. As they worked to resuscitate her, my heart stopped and I slipped into a coma. 3 days later I woke up and met my tiny fighter. Ellis spent 2 long months in the NICU fighting for her life. Kashton, her big brother, was only allowed to see her once in the beginning when we weren’t sure if she would survive, and then once at the end of her stay when we knew she was coming home.
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Kashton had clearly been paying attention to the undercurrent of emotion flowing through his family unit during those tumultuous few months. The fact that his mother and sister almost died left a lasting impression on him, and it’s clear that this experience filled him with gratitude for the mere presence of his family.
I feel like my son was overcome with emotion because he could finally lay next to his baby sister and hold her hand. He had witnessed so much in those two months between myself and his sister. I can only imagine this was a moment of sweet relief that we were all together again.
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It shouldn’t take a near-death experience for us to feel the sort of gratitude that Kashton demonstrated here! Let’s all take a moment to hug our loved ones just a little tighter today, remembering how fleeting life can be, and how fortunate we are to experience love in its purest form.
Watch Kashton’s sweet lullaby below, and please share to spread the love even further.
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