Soul Carving

HAPPINESS IS. . . . . . feeling the smoothness of my baby's cheek next to mine and inhaling his sweet baby smell. If I close my eyes, I can almost believe he's still a newborn. . . . soaking up the warmth of the sun's rays into my Winter-weary skin. If I sit long enough in this pool of light that pours in through the windows, I feel like I'm floating - I'm ascending, getting nearer and nearer to the sun until I start glowing. I become light . . . . suggesting math practice without evoking the tsunami of rage and injustice. "Wait, did you just say, 'Okay'? You mean I can come out from the bomb shelter now and I won't find any debris to clear up?" . . . taking a deep, steadying breath when my little one needs to tell me "one last thing" (for the 3rd time) before they go to sleep. Then the reward for my calm response: a heart-felt, wide-eyed expression of love and gratitude -- "Mama,...