My husband files for divorce, and my 6-year old son asks the judge: ‘May I show you something that Mom doesn’t know about, Your Honor?’ The judge nodded. When the video started, the entire courtroom froze in silence.

For years I had wanted a witness to the truth of my marriage.

Now I understood I also needed witnesses to the life I was building beyond it.

I sent Dana a photograph of the height chart.

She replied with a single sentence: Looks like a good place to grow.

PART 26

Children do not ask their hardest questions according to a schedule.

Noah asked about divorce while brushing his teeth, about bank accounts while choosing cereal, and about trust while we waited at a red light.

I learned to keep my answers brief enough to make room for the next question.