When I Was 12 Years Old, I

She Felt Everything Too Deeply, It Was Like The World Was Too Much For Her.

I'd Known Enough Flush Times And Lean Ones To Understand That Money Came And Went. And That One Day I'd Also Lose My Looks, My Seemingly Boundless Energy And Maybe The Ability To Catch The Eye Of An Attractive Man And The Audacity To Rollerblade. My Name Would Be Forgotten. So Would Bad Reviews, And Good Ones. But Loving A Child Is Something That Lasts. Long After All The Rest Is Gone, That's What Endures.

For A Parent, It's Hard To Recognize The Significance Of Your Work When You're Immersed In The Mundane Details. Few Of Us, As We Run The Bath Water Or Spread The Peanut Butter On The Bread, Proclaim Proudly, "i'm Making My Contribution To The Future Of The Planet." But With The Exception Of Global Hunger, Few Jobs In The World Of Paychecks And Promotions Compare In Significance To The Job Of Parent.

Those Who Rhapsodize About The Ease And Joy Of Childhood Have Perhaps Forgotten What It's Like To Be 12 Years Old.

I Had Known There Had Been A Serial Killer On Mount Tamalpais, And It Felt So Incongruous In Such A Beautiful, Peaceful Spot.