Oh, give me patience when tiny hands
Tug at me with their small demands.
And give me gentle and smiling eyes;
Keep my lips from sharp replies.
And let not fatigue, confusion, or noise
Obscure my vision of life’s fleeting joys,
So when, years later, my house is still–
No bitter memories its rooms may fill.

—Anonymous

Along with that constant wish of mine, here’s another from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Learn to labor and to wait.

[Post image: Liliana watches Papa blow up rocket balloons]