Susie Morgenstern

It's our children who teach us how to be parents.

That's the way it is--you have a thought, a dream, an idea in your head . . . and you do nothing to make it happen. Then one day, boom, just like that, you get up and go.

Dear Father, I already forgave you once. I read all your letters, which fed me crumbs of love and admiration. LIke Hansel and Gretel, I followed their trail to your door. But you have left me again. I have the whole summer ahead of me to re-read your letters, and to try to understand.

And I know, too, that recognizing one's mistakes does not erase them.