“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon

On a sunny evening this past week I had just put my toddler to bed and my 5 ½ year old daughter was just starting a popsicle while watching her show before bedtime when we heard the ice cream truck outside. She put down the popsicle, started bargaining with me about whether she could get something from the truck all the while moving towards the door. But by the time we’d gotten our shoes and my wallet and gone outside, it was just turning the corner about 100 yards away. It didn’t take her long to realize that we were too late. She sighed, took a deep inhale, then brightened up and said, “It’s okay. Basically, I have a good life.”

And that was what I wanted for Mother’s Day. Healthy kids that are resilient through the ups and downs in life and can express themselves. Really it’s what I want to be too. In the moment before she said it, I couldn’t have defined it as succinctly. But as is often the case with perfect gifts, once I got it, I understood it was exactly what I needed.

Happy Mother’s Day Everyone!