The line at the post office was out the door with only one clerk on duty. Intrigued by all the packaging materials, Alex kept getting away from me to touch everything. From there, we finally headed off to the dry cleaners, but Alex fell asleep in the car. I wanted to run in and leave her napping, but I sensed child abductors lurking everywhere and decided to just go home and let her sleep in peace.

As soon as I turned off the car engine, Alex’s eyes shot open and she wailed out a tired cry. As I carried her into the house, I sobbed with her, my high expectations spilling out with my tears. What happened to our perfect day?

Hugging my precious daughter, we rocked and sniffled together. “You’re my honey-bear,” I whispered, feeling the weight of her sink into me. Her eyes gently shut, and I held her

until she fell back asleep in my arms. I stroked the soft hair that curled above her neck and breathed in her smell, a mixture of sweat and maple syrup. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed for the first time that day. I was there with my daughter, forgetting about my to-do list, and it felt good.

Still, it took years for me to realise that such moments were the best and far surpassed the ones I tried to invent with heart-shaped pancakes or processed cheese sculptures. The less I tried to create life’s magical moments, the more I was able to notice them when they naturally happened. And they were even more delicious as surprises.-Beliefnet.com (Concluded)