And now for something completely different...a children's story, in verse, about a young girl and her great-grandmother. Just for fun.

So I've given you a peak into our relationship--sweet, struggling, satisfying, imperfect, and a great gift.

The good news is that your child is there before you, and your arms are available: Hugging is possible.

You can try to explain this kind of thing away with your rational mind. Or you can receive it as Gift. Gloriously ridiculous and improbable.

When you have pain, you tend to focus on it. But then you become even more aware of it. So then you focus on it more, and so on. Not fun.

Hotei teaches me to laugh, to be content with what I have, to allow joy. Those are great and deeply appreciated gifts. However...