Childhood Sweethearts

We're not sure exactly when this happened or how it came about.  But one afternoon Sarah mentioned that she had a friend named Drew at school, and he was SO nice. 

Then we were told by their teachers that they were exchanging phone numbers for a playdate.  And after that, whenever Sarah was less than anxious to go to school, all I had to do was mention Drew and she changed her tune.  "Drew will miss me if I don't come," she would say with the utmost seriousness. 
The teachers had to contrive ways to get them to play with other children because they were only interested in each other.  I watched a little girl run sobbing into her mother's arms one day because she was so sad that Sarah wouldn't play with her because she was playing with Drew.  Drew made Sarah a beautiful necklace and then gave her a little bag full of "diamonds."  She wanted to make him one, but we decided a mask might be better.

At first I was a little uneasy about the whole thing, but Sarah and Drew were so absolutely sweet with each other.  So generous, so kind, so at ease, that along with everyone else, we sort of sat back and watched in awe and wonder at these two four year old childhood sweethearts.  We never prodded them to hug or hold hands or anything like that.  They just sort of did it naturally, and didn't seem to be aware that it might be a little unusual.  It was sort of like they just knew they belonged together.  At the end of their picnic, it was time to go and Drew laid his head down in his mother's lap and wailed at the top of his lungs.  His mother tried to do everything to consoul him, but he was devasted he had to say good-bye to Sarah.  Sarah wasn't so upset, she knew they would be having a playdate soon.  Hadn't her Daddy told her so?  I guess girls just understand these things a little better sometimes.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story, and close with this one wistful question.  Why can't love always be this beautiful and sweet, innocent, trusting and pure?