Heh. I gave my dad the link to the GWW LJ post with my most recent entry, because I really wanted him to read it. This is what he replied with:
Sometimes the bleak lasted longer than it should have, and I got a little anxious. Sometimes hope was an awfully small candle, providing only a firefly's glow in a downpour of doubts. Sometimes I had to contemplate the risk of being the surviving half of two, providing a safe haven so the future could happen. And there were even times when self was a moment away from dissolving into tears.
But I'm the parent! She's looking to me for everything!
Quick -- think of a ring, fall through it --
(warm smile and nod)
"Everything's going to be OK, punkin, it's just going to take a little longer. Did I ever tell you about when I worked for a potato rancher in Idaho, herding the spuds to market and protecting them from rustlers carrying potato mashers? No? Well, it was like this..."
Thanks for being my kid.
Love, Dad