Parenting...

You don't need a license to be a parent. There certainly are no pre requisites, The time is never right, there are always other things to do. Over the years you may shake your head and wonder what you were thinking. You may wonder how you can have learned so little from your own growing up or how you thought you knew so much and find out how little and how under prepared you really are/were for all that comes with this most important  of things.

Then there are those moments that stand out as magic. Sometimes they are small, like a little card, or a flower when least expected, or a trip to see you in a hospital when you know they've had incredibly long days themselves and you know you are not at your best and certainly not a glib conversationalist. Or a comment attached to a posted picture that says something like "I'm sure we took this yesterday" when, in fact, it was near three decades earlier. Or maybe just a call on the run to check in, when you, yourself (the parent) have not done that to them in what seems like forever. Or the pride they have in themselves for surprising themselves on a recent effort, or a promotion, or finishing 13.1 miles after only a very short time training. Maybe it's just a smile, maybe it's just knowing they're there.

Being a parent is an unbalanced scale, but I would not have given up any of the difficulties if with that I would have had to give up even one of those other moments. It's been a great few days!!