1 . My 16-month-old daughter jumped onto the floor again, after climbing onto the low windowsill. She made it many times a day—it is her own Mount Qomolangma. With a sense of _________, she ran into my arms, laughing. I was almost crying as I _________ her.

I felt I was a(n)_________. No one had prepared me for working from home daring the COVID-19 pandemic while _________ a wild, fearless kid. I felt so sad. I wasn’t _________ enough and I wasn’t a good mother. I was defeated by life.

Then came a sound from my cellphone. After getting my _________ child back on her feet and, watching her go to climb the windowsill, I read the _________: “Watching you be a mommy has been my favorite. It brings me so much     _______! How talented you are, and how kind and funny you are!”

And immediately, my friend Megan got me out of a complete _________. This was exactly what I needed to ________, at the exact moment I felt so ________ . She rebuilt my confidence and __________ me that motherhood is my mission, my happiness, and my greatest achievement, even when it’s __________.

Sometimes the greatest kindnesses are some words of __________ at just the right time. Therefore, I headed back to Baby Qomolangma, ready for her next __________.