When one of my daughters was just a toddler, she used to cover her face with her hands whenever she got into trouble. It wasn’t a way for her to hide from the world, but rather it was a way for her to disappear. In her mind, she became invisible once she became silent and covered her face. If she couldn’t see me, then I couldn’t see her. Even now in her teen years, there are times where I find her with her hands over her face for one reason or another – trying to hide from the world.      With all of the troubles in the world today,…

I’m 40 years old today. No bells are chiming to announce the event. No fireworks are exploding in the sky. And, no thunderous applause is being heard at my expense. It’s just another day…but, not to me. When I opened my eyes this morning, I found myself to be a little wiser. Allow me a moment to clarify. I didn’t wake up suddenly understanding all the mysteries of the universe or how to end world hunger. However, what has made me smarter is simply reflecting back on a life full of failure, catastrophe, mistakes and love…and realizing that all of it has made me what I am today. Every awful…