This is what I live for

The Vancouver Canucks are running a "This is What We Live For" campaign while they work their way towards the Stanley Cup Finals.  They ask you to post a photo of yourself celebrating the Canucks and explaining why you are a fan of the Canucks.

My beautiful son and I sharing a giggle before bedtime

I love my team, and I truly believe that we are on the path towards the cup, but my son it what I live for.  Most parents say that, and that's because most parents mean it.  It's incredible the change that occurs when you give birth to (or adopt) a child and hold it in your arms for the first time.  The love that courses through your veins and takes your very breath away.  All of it sounds like a cliche but I swear to you, the first time your child looks into your eyes and wraps his tiny little fingers around yours, it's as if the world stops.  The best part is, it doesn't end there.  The rest of your life, you get the joy of "firsts" to savour.  The first time your child smiles (when it's not gas), the first time they laugh, their first step, first word, first time they write their name, ride a bike, first crush, first love.  If you're really lucky, your child(ren) then go on to have kids of their own and then you get to watch them go through all the same firsts with their kids.

I have a lot of favourites in my life, and the older my son gets, the more I find that my favourites have something to do with him.  My favourite sounds are my son's giggle or whenever he says "I love you too, Mommy.".  My favourite smell is the smell of his hair after he's played outside.  It's smells of pure sunshine.   My favourite thing to see is his hands in his daddy's hand, or his smile of pride when he builds cool new track or learns to write a new number or letter.  My favourite feeling is when he snuggles into me (if he stays still long enough) before bedtime as he winds down after a long day.

When you're having one of those days (or weeks/months/years) when it feels like nothing feels right, nothing's going as planned, and everything seems like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole try to think of something that makes it easy for you to breathe.  I know there's something/someone in your life that makes everything feel like the planets are once again aligned when you're near it.  Find it, and hold it near to you and never let it go*

*Writer's Note: If the "it" is something that could cause you harm (drugs, booze, alcohol), please let it go.  There are better things that can set you to rights and won't shorten your life.