Love.

Oh, the morning after! Some mornings I wake up ready to conquer the world. Okay, so that's rare. Some mornings I drag my sorry, fowl self out of bed. Some mornings I just wish it wasn't morning. But every morning, two things are for sure. I always need coffee. AND I always utter the same words to the lil' man when I first lay my eyes upon him, "Buddy, have I told you today, how much I love you?"

The past few days he's replied, "I love you so much, daddy." My heart melts. I just don't have the vocabulary to express how these precious words, words that he doesn't even understand yet, make me feel. What I do have, is answers. Answers to questions that I've pondered for quite some time. Questions like: How did my mother still love me when she had to pick me up at the police station, again? How did my mother still love me when I told her that I hated her fucking guts? How did my mother still love me when I registered as a Republican just to piss her off? How did my mother still love me when ... ?

The answer is so clear to me now. You just do. It's really that simple. I know that whatever the lil' mans actions are, whatever he says, whoever he becomes—I'll love him with all my heart. Well, unless he marries a Christian. Joking folks! Just joking! C'mon. I couldn't end a post THAT warm and fuzzy.  Okay, I probably should have ...