One of the most difficult things about raising a child is that you have so little control. You can only manage so much of what will happen to them, and they are who they are, with a personality that you can only shape to a very limited extent. Raising a child, like so many other things, is an exercise in faith in the power of love against all odds.
What have you nurtured in love?
Love can be the expected kind: love of one’s parents because of one’s birth and their affection for me; love can be the instantaneous…infatuation of a romantic kind; there is environmental love, which can be observant and grateful for nature’s wonders and, in addition, love for the companionship and life gifts from other humans….so nurturing love can exist in many forms and with many recipients. I nurtured my mom through her dying, I nurtured my dad with my pride in him; I nurtured life partners by a variety of means; I try to nurture nature so that it will be inherited by those who come later; I nurture firm friendships; I nurture myself in body and mind.
Well I guess I have nurtured several relationships in friends and family. I have a loving relationship with my father, sister, son, daughter, and 4 grandchildren. I have several friends who I care very deeply about and we have nurtured each other in good and bad times. For these I am greatfull. I had a son whom I had a wonderful relationship with and we both nurtured that, however he is no longer with us.