Elizabeth's First Birthday

Although my daughter's birth occurred in the middle of a confused, stressful period of time, now, a year later, I can definitely mark it as one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I recently watched the Johnny Depp episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, and when he was asked how the birth of his own daughter changed his life, he responded with a line I keep going back to when describing my own experience: it's like the lifting of a veil. It snaps everything into focus. You think, "Oh, yeah ... that's what it's all about."

We had a huge cookout and party today with Elizabeth's father's family, and she loved it all. This evening she and I took a walk in the backyard (she just started walking last Saturday), and I was reminded again how wonderful it is to have her, and rediscover through her how wonderful it is to be in the world.

Happy first birthday, angel. You have a lot of exciting stuff ahead of you.