This is a picture of me and my oldest niece, (who knows what we were eating, but we were enjoying it). It was taken ten years ago. She turns 14 today. When I look at this picture, I see how much younger we both were, and wonder at how much more innocent.

In the past ten years, we’ve both been through some really hard things — some of them happened to us but some of it was self-imposed suffering. We are both smarter and stronger for it. My wish on her birthday is that in the next year we each experience more love and more joy. Happiest of birthdays to you, Love Bug!