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My firstborn


Let me tell you about this kid, my Laney Bug. She is the quietest of the bunch, so sometimes she's drowned out by all the noise. She needs me the least, so sometimes I forget she does need me. Let me tell you something else about this kid. She is all heart. 

The kids each have a little treasure box, a place to put their found objects, small trinkets with value only they can understand. Yesterday Laney asked me if I knew which thing in her treasure box made her the most sad. I was a little surprised she would keep something that made her sad, and had no idea what it could be. 

When we went up for bath, she showed me what it was, a tiny turtle bead she had found, about as long as a grain of rice. It was cute. I asked why it made her sad. Her voice caught and her eyes welled up. She was worried the person who lost it might still be looking, unable to find it. The thought was almost too much to bear. 

Sometimes I think she feels what others feel more acutely than they do. She's really something, that kid. 
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