The Best Kisses I've Had

(Because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
(Because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life
(Because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
(Because your kiss) your kiss I can't resist
*from Hall and Oates, Kiss on My List

Here are three very special kisses I've had that certainly do count among the best things in my life:

1) My first kiss.
I was 19, a late bloomer with my very first boyfriend. He and I had just gotten together and had been exchanging chaste, closed-mouth pecks for about 2 or 3 days. He was 25, an older, mature man with experience, but I knew he loved me too much to rush me. I had made up my mind that I was going to let him french kiss me eventually, after a month or so. You know, take it slow. We were canoodling in a moviehouse when his tongue began dancing around my lips and flirting with my teeth. I was so excited, I felt like I was at the top of a giant rollercoaster. My lips slowly parted. The kiss deepened, and then the rollercoaster began plummeting down. I couldn't believe the feelings that exploded inside me! To this day, I remember thinking, So this is what kissing is -- forget taking it slow! I remember wondering how and why I waited so long to experience it. That was the kiss that said, Wow! I never knew I could feel like this!

2) When I first kissed my husband.
We had been flirting around the office for months. I knew he was attracted, and so was I, but I had a boyfriend, so I kept my distance. We were the last ones in the office, and we stared at each other. He said, I'd really like to kiss you right now. My insides melted, and I said, so would I. Then the tension broke, and we went back to joking. We went outside, to our separate cars. Across the parking lot, he stopped fiddling with his keys. He turned around and walked back to me. I just stared at him, knowing what was coming. Not a word was said; he just leaned over and kissed me hard. A fire ignited in me. I admitted I wanted him, and I let go. I kissed him back with all my might. That first kiss was hot, desperate, long overdue. That was the kiss that said, Let's face it, there's something going on between us. The rest is history.


3) When I first kissed my daughter.
I was exhausted from 27 hours of labor. Just moments before, I was screaming incoherently, desperate to stop the pain that was tearing me apart (it turns out I did tear and need an episiotomy). After that last push, I felt my stomach collapse as something slimy gurgled, thlurp! thlurp!, out of me. And there she was, all pink and white, on my chest will the umbilical cord still attached, still connected to me. I remember planting a soft, gentle kiss on her damp forehead and saying, Hello, little baby. That was my first kiss as a mother, the kiss that said, I will love you all my life.

What were the best kisses of your life? Happy Sunday Scribblings!