| When my daughter was 4, she came up to me and said "I know a sekrit. A deliciously yummy sekrit. And I'm not tellin' nobody."
I said "Not even me?"
She said "Ok but just you!"
I said, "Well, what is it punkin?"
She looked around all conspiratorial-like, and then crept up close and in angelic whispers she said "I love you to the moon! And you are the bestest in the world!"
She told me this not minutes after I gave her crap for not cleaning up after herself.
The secret she taught me was the secret of unconditional love. That it does indeed exist in others, and it isn't just me.
Unconditional love is possible and you should settle for nothing less.
Out of the mouths of babes...
In any case, it isn't as big a deal to most as it seemed, not to anyone outside of myself. But the line struck a chord.
Children open up your eyes in unfathomable ways. It is amazing.
When I think about what I did before kids, it feels both hollow and good. Good because I didn't know any better, hollow because now I know what I was missing.
So when I'm sad... I try to think of these little pieces of happy, these wonderful gifts that my kids have given me, and the sad lessens a little with every passing memory.
For this, but also for my own heart. | 
