And Again

I can't seem to stop writing. The floodgates have opened. I was sitting on the porch, reading a magazine about parenting, and I read this great passage that I had to put down here for posterity.
Lydia came home from the hospital at 4 lbs. 4 oz. She was tiny in every sense of the word. Smallest thing I'd ever seen in real life. We put pop cans in her bili-bassinette and took pictures to compare. She didn't stay small for long though. She is now 14 months and weighs a grand total of 25 lbs. 4 oz. Not exactly itty-bitty. People tell me she's chubby all the time, and I want to smack them. She's not chubby, she's beautiful and smart and healthy. The same thing happens to this woman in the article, and this is what she says about it:

"Once, in the changing room after class, a woman mentioned Amelia's round belly. I watched as Amelia listened to the woman with rapt attention and then, ever so slowly, rubbed her hand over her stomach. I crouched down beside her and said, 'Oh yes, her belly is perfect.' I realized I wanted all three of us to hear it......
.....Ultimately I realized.....The process of making them feel self-conscious about their bodies isn't the result of one big blow, but a thousand small cuts."
- Susan Swimmer, LHJ Aug 2005

That makes so much sense to me. Lately I am searching for thoughts that make sense, for things people say or do that are tangible, that you can touch and feel, that are certain and unchanging. And when I find one, it strikes with such sharp poignancy that I want to cry for the joy of knowing: Someone understands.