These are some things I know:

That the bottom line is not money.

That sex without love is like cotton candy if you’re lucky, a bad hangover if you’re not.

That things, junk food, drugs, compulsive TV watching/video game playing take up spaces empty of love and true occupation.

That being known by many is of less value than being known and well-loved by a few.

Little lies can really wear down a relationship.

That the physical symmetry of a hothouse flower or a stylish head does not have the staying power of an honest face, or an intriguing puzzle or real conversation. A beloved droopy-faced dog is as welcome a sight as a Barbie or Tarzan. A beat-up guitar has the resonance of all the music that has echoed from within it. We worry far too much about looks.

The question still comes up: are we safer out in the open, or hiding in our structures with the doors locked? I don’t know the answer, but for my own comfort, lean toward the former.

Sarcasm should not be used with children.

As for human relationships, be tender where you can. And keep at it. We will fail again and again, which gives us the opportunity to grow with the repair work.

What a surprising number of physical problems find their causes in convoluted interpersonal situations. With kids, ailments can reflect family dysfunction. The ailments stack up and grow, made even more complicated with medicines and treatments and the labels attached by doctors and parents. If need for tenderness and trust are met, and family knots disentangled, the rest may dissolve into dust.

I know from careful observation that somehow our world converses with us. If an unusual event happens once, that’s interesting. When the unusual event happens twice, thrice, or more, or continues to chain-connect, pay attention. There is some teaching or direction, comfort or gift of love being offered.