“I need help.”

“With what?”

“The roof keeps falling in.”

So I spent twenty minutes on the floor building a cushion fortress with four small boys, and it was the most useful thing I had done all week.

Possibly all year.

Later, while Kelsey made sandwiches, I stood in the doorway and watched them play.

For the first time I wasn’t counting what had been taken.

I was looking at what was left.