My little mountain [flower]

Cora's seventh birthday was last month.  It seems so long ago.  I have a hard time finding a way to write my observations of Cora without the word "effusive" coming to mind.  Gushing would also suffice.

Parenting can be like that, in my experience.  I could be having a conversation with you and listening to the great things your kids are doing but deep down I really don't care about the specific achievements of your child.  What I do relish is sharing the experience.  I like listening to the wonder and awe of parents who are gobsmacked watching their children unfold into fully formed human beings.

Let me see if I can illustrate this another way.  There are mountains all over this planet.  I have seen a few of them, but they are essentially all the same.  But if I was listening to you tell me a story about climbing a mountain it would be the trials and victories that you encountered that would interested me.  The mountain is background to the story.

I say all of this because, just like a mountain, my daughter is impressive and complex and tricky and growing inch by inch every year.  Anyone can see that.  There are other daughters in the world, but this one has been given to me and she is my toughest challenge.   To carry the metaphor further, it is nice to sit back once in a while and see how far we have come.  The skinned knees and missteps all seem trivial at this point.

Currently listening to: Birdy - Birdy