Unrequited love.
Most know its heartache, have tasted of it's bitterness and pain - from a simple middle school crush, to deep affection for another who just doesn't seem to care. I, for one, know that my journals from elementary to high school are speckled (sometimes filled) with dramatic entries about my secret crush at the time and how perfect and wonderful that person was and the desire for them to notice and care for me, imagined scenarios and interactions, immature pining.
This time, however, it is different. This unrequited love comes from one of those whom I call my daughters, one of my girls. Every night, when I tuck the little ones in, I pray and kiss them good night, saying, "I love you" - sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish... The usual response is a hug and a kiss back with an echo of (in Spanish or English!) "I love you, too!"