There was no way to know back then that two decades later I would be on a similar hunt, this time with a newborn baby strapped on my chest, and three boys bounding ahead.

We tip-toed backwards and shut the door. When I lifted my eyes, my son stood waiting. Could it be a worried look on his face?

Dear daughter, I never knew if I would write this letter to you. Yet here I am, swaying back and forth before this screen, you strapped tightly to me, nuzzled against my chest as I listen to your soft breathing. And out come these words I have held within me for so long, never knowing […]

I could have given her a fluffy answer, but I decided to tell her the truth. “Mommy spent a lot of time believing lies about herself, too.”

I stepped forward to intervene, but then I saw him lean in close to his crying sister, and I stopped.

Six small words slipped off my lips. Little did I know how they’d be a constant companion to me in the following days…