A good dad will fulfill his daughter's request—but only if it's the right gift, at the right time. Sometimes he may give the gracious gift of saying no. But always—always—he cares about his child's request.

Maybe that's the definition of true contentment: choosing to rest in who God is, regardless of the circumstances.

All along I'd vaguely assumed the emptiness and the pain meant I was doing something wrong. But maybe it was all just part of the process so something new could be born. First the barrenness, to make space. Then the pain, which is the only way to a birth.