I’m in Little Rock till Tuesday night visiting my sister, her husband, and Maya, their 1-year-old daughter. My parents, uncle, and aunt are also here, so it’s a full house. Even the dog is having trouble finding an empty chair. All the new faces put Maya into a state of temporary shock so she’s been a little cranky. But one of the most gratifying things is her reaction when I approach her when she’s in the middle of crying fit.

She goes silent and stares blankly. I’m not especially tall, but at 6’2”, I’m the tallest in the house right now. My brother in law coined me as the “freak of nature” and Maya apparently has made a habit of gawking at me and pondering where the hell I came from. I’m flattered, to say the least. I can only hope that one day my kids will look at me with the same adoration.