(These are notes from Tuesday, October 30, 2007)

Watching TV on the bed last night (after dinner, we often do that), I was feeling remorseful about my loss of patience with her from time to time in the last few weeks. Things have been very difficult at work.

"I try to be a good Daddy," I told her, "but I know I don't always succeed."

She thought about this. Then she said, "Are you being a good Daddy?"

There's a certain joking good humor about M. that is at the core of who she is.

"Yes," I said.

She thought somemore. "I will cover you," she announced. There was clean laundry on the bed that hadn't been folded yet, and she began to use pieces of that to blanket me. She's a great improvisor as I guess all children are. Soon I was covered, neck to toe, in T-shirts, socks, jeans, and other bits of clothing.

"Are you comfortable, Daddy?" she wanted to know.

"Yes," I said.

In the coming years, I know that there will be forces that will work on us and seek to separate us--issues made into political ones having to do with her separation from her birth parents, for whatever reasons they had, and our adoption of her. I hope we are always able to cycle back to moments like this--impromptu stagings of forgiveness and acceptance.

The pic is from a restaurant about a week before this. I had taken them out to make amends for my distraction, and we had had a good time.

John, November 12, 2007