Eighteen

Today my youngest child turns 18. He has managed to survive his childhood during a particularly challenging time on the planet. I'm proud of him. 

I can also feel my own shoulders dropping a little bit. If you're a person who lost a parent as a young child, maybe you can relate to the fear one feels that he/she will die prematurely and leave their own children alone and unprotected in the world. Today we cross an imaginary finish line.