When my kids receive a gift from their grandparent, it's the grandparents I
watch, not my kids. When the presents produce squeals from the kids' mouths, I can't escape the glint in my parents' eyes. Who am I to stop that?
While it can feel a whole lot like jumping into the deep end and having no choice
but to swim, you aren't in this alone. And you don't have to feel unprepared.
Out of all this world, you have been chosen for me. Out of all the hustle, the daily tasks, the long nights, full days, teething toddlers, burned meals, impatient words and life's concerns, I still choose you.
Maybe if we actually believed the things we say, the entire structures of our
lives, vocations, and relationships would feel less tenuous. We'd believe that even if they got
knocked down, we could put them back up just the same as before but with the weaker areas
reinforced, stronger in the long run.
My daughter's failure to acquiesce to so-called expert advice heralded the
beginning of a new way of living, for both of us. One that strives to work with her
needs, rather than struggle against them.
