all this time, you were a part of me. now, you are a little person. a separate being. with your own volition, intention and understanding. and it tears me up inside.

i see you being pushed by another, and i want to protect you. then i think, you must learn to protect yourself. you scream at him, and stand up. and you're back in the game. i am so proud of you. sometimes, i see you fight me, i cannot force you to sleep. then i wonder, what really is influence? where is the line between letting you be your own person and me staying my own? i see in you an independence so fierce and a spirit so luminous that i can only be humbled by it.

i hope the path laid out for you is pure gold. i hope that i can pick out the brambles that obstruct your way. maybe, i should hope instead that you discern them and pick them out yourself. and may i learn attachment and detachment.