Today at the park:

moms with little ones and swelling bellies

brand new baby with much bigger brother

little girl – maybe 7 or 8 – unable to walk, teeth clacking together, the sweetest smile

families of all shapes and sizes

and oh – my heart

baby in stroller parked by parents who clearly are not sober

but not yet as high as they have been

or will be again.

I wonder at the hands we are all dealt

I lift my heart in awe

hang my head in sorrow

vow to do what I can to make the world

a kinder, gentler place.

*****

My friend overseas whose husband was just diagnosed with cancer has started writing – beautifully – in English – thankfully – about her new, altered life. If you feel so moved, please visit. Be a witness for her too.

We are all in this together. This life.