I was fishing three pieces of eggshell out of the mixture when out of the corner of my eye I saw him slip. Rather than washing in the bathroom, he tried to step onto the adjacent stool in attempt to wash his hands from the back of the kitchen sink. He missed his step and tumbled down to the ground with an loud thud. The cry that erupted was more than startled, it was one of deep pain. I scooped him up onto my shoulder and headed for the couch where we sat.

I held him as he told me about all the things that were hurting him. He sat in the comfort of my arms while we waited for his pain to subside.

We haven't always shared moments like this together.