This is 4: We went to the movies on Friday afternoon, Olivia and I — it was her first time. An hour into the movie she stood up and in her quietest most thoughtful little voice she whispered: “I like it, but I don’t like it. Let’s go.” I was fine with the thought of abandoning the movie a bit early, I had some dry cleaning to pick up anyway and Olivia likes ringing the bell that summons the woman from her sewing chair in the back to the front of the store to greet us. When we got outside of the theatre I asked her what she didn’t like about the movie. She explained, “that boy [in the Ugly Dolls movie] is mean to people because they are different, and that makes me angry and sad because that is wrong, mom.” Bless her heart, that heart that bleeds for the underdog, that loves unconditionally, that shows shades of sympathy from time to time (not always for her little brother, but sometimes for her little brother) and that powers her little body to run with reckless abandon. There is hope in this world, folks. A hope that generation after generation will continue to be better than the previous one. A hope that someday, maybe, just maybe, people will care a little more about each other and a lot less about their differences.

Stay great!

Kate