"You never stop being a parent," my mother said to me recently. "You never stop praying for your children, praying they're safe."
Hearing my mom put into words something so basic about parenting hit home. For one thing: I know. I have a daughter. I pray for her all the time. For another: My mom was talking about me. She never stops praying for me (and my brothers). I felt her love, right then, running so deep, eternally—beyond language.
Mom touched on a simple, universal truth. In small towns and big cities, on farms and riverbanks, in every tent and makeshift shelter dotting the outer reaches of the globe—from the Black Hills to Glasgow, from the outback to Baghdad—parents all want the same thing for their children: safety. They want them to be healthy and happy in a harmless world.
