A love letter to Parents:

When I wrote this book, I had a very specific thought in mind: why do we love our kids?

I know it’s a bit of a strange question. I mean, what do we get out of it? It’s a lifetime of pain, expense, trouble and worry. As it turns out, we do get a lot out of it. The beauty of love is not just that we could be hurt, but that we can forgive; not just that it’s troublesome, but that all that trouble is worth it; not just that we would worry, but that we might just be comforted as well. (I’m sorry folks, it’s unlikely we’ll get any money back).

Recently, something happened between my daughter, Emma, and I that left me thinking. You see, she had just done something she shouldn’t have done, despite reminders, and I was in the process of disciplining her. What struck me was that instead of running away from me, she kept running towards me. She was most hurt that I was hurt by her actions, and that she wanted to repair that relationship. All she wanted was a hug, and to say she was sorry.

That day, Emma taught me in a very real way that our relationship is more important than all the stuff she does well, or doesn't do well. It's easy to forget that the relationship with our children is really the centre of everything we do for them. And the basis of that relationship is love. Nothing they can do will make us love them more, and they'll never mess up enough for us to love them any less.

So why do we love our kids? That's probably the wrong question. The better question is "how?" It doesn't really matter why, because and I'm hoping that with this book, more of us will answer the question with, "No matter what, I'll love you anyway"

Love,

Joel

P.S. Somebody out there loves You anyway... unconditional, and infinitely so. I hope you figure out Who.