5:20 a.m.

The early bird gets the worm.

Early to bed and early to rise
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

That's what they say about early risers.
Like me, my dad, my brother.
My boys.

It’s never too early,
it's never too late,
it's never too inconvenient

to be present.
That is love.

And how do I make sure
there is enough for me?

I trust,
in the long run,
the bigger picture,
that there is more than I even want.

The other day they argued:
"I love you as big as the universe," said Secundo.
"I love you as big as the sky."

"The universe is bigger than the sky," said Primo.

"The universe is the biggest thing there is," I said.
"So, that's a lot of love. Wow!"

Then Secundo, not yet four, says: "The sky is bigger."

"No, it's not,!" asserted the elder,
still always technically more correct.

"Yes, it is!"
"No, it's not!"
The beautiful moment morphed
into a sibling squabble.

And I basked in it.
A conversation about love never goes awry.

"Well, guys, how about this."
Ever the mediator:
"The sky is the part of the universe that you can see,"
I said.

And there's so much more.

When we extend ourselves, we grow.