Parenting really is the fast track to God. . . both because of the utter sweetness and the utterly impossible task of staying completely present and non-reactive to their simultaneous profound pain and wild joy.  I never realized I could love so tenderly and with such fierceness. . . . Never knew that I could fall out of my spiritual peace and lose my grace in two seconds flat. . . .

Because of their experiences with abandonment, neglect, drugs, molestation, starvation and lost, most of these children came to us without the social skills for giving and receiving love in a way that others could recognize. . . and often their own self-love had not yet been activated.  But they certainly hadn’t given up trying!  And they wouldn’t let us give up either.

I don’t claim that we knew what we were doing.  I don’t claim that we were excellent at it.  I am claiming that the kids required us to love.  And when we made mistakes, they forgave us instantly and pulled us back into unconditional love that had nothing to do with being “right” and everything to do with loving simply because we all are hardwired to do this.  Our children taught us the most basic truth of life.  We need to receive love in order to survive.  We need to give love in order to survive.  If you know that, and if you don’t fight  it, you’ve got it made.