Weißt du eigentlich, wie lieb ich dich hab?

As i was packing my stuffs before i went home, i found one wrapped gift hidden in my bag. The size was midi but it looked so fine, i was trying to figure out who has put this present into my bag. “Is it for me? or someone has mistaken?” But a guess without a prove would be only nothing. So i unwrapped it and i saw this book. The title is “weißt du eigentlich wie lieb ich dich hab” or in French it would be “Devine Combien Je t’aime” or in English (yes i know, you look forward to this translation) “Guess How Much I Love You”. It’s written by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram.

This storybook tells about a Little Nutbrown Hare who was going to bed held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare’s very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening to him and eventually he asked a question : “Guess how much i love you?’. The Little Nutbrown Hare was starting it by saying that his love to the Big Nutbrown Hare was as wide as his stretching arms could possibly go. After that the Big Nutbrown Hare responded to it by saying “I love you this much” and he stretched his arms which is longer that the Little Nutbrown’s. Of course now the Big Nutbrown Hare got the upper hand.

Then the competition began, to show one another how much the love they have. In this book the Big Nutbrown Hare always win. Until the very last page of the book. Maybe the aim of this story is to show how big parents’s love is and also how you can’t compare their love to yours.

This is the last part of the story, which is my favorite.

“I love you across the river and over the hills”, said Big Nutbrown Hare.

“That’s very far,” thought Little Nutbrown Hare. He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thornbushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be farther than the sky.

“I love you right up to the moon” he said and closed his eyes.

“Oh that’s far,’ said Big Nutbrown Hare. “That’s very, very far”

Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him goodnight. Then he laid down close by and whispered with a smile. “I love you right up to the moon—and back”

After i finished that story i found a card fell from the sidelines of the book. I found out that it was from my Hostmother, Sabine.

It’s so emotional to see how someone who met me 3 years ago as a stranger now put me in her heart. If i were the Little Nutbrown Hare and she were the Big Nutbrown Hare. Before i slept i would say “I love you right up to the moon and back, too”.

Thank you for the book and the heart-warming card. I will definitely do the same to my children.

I love you this much.

Please don’t ask me to define the ‘this’ like this book. Love is just boundless