for
10. The opportunity to awaken, and to help others do so.
9. The reminder of the preciousness of my human birth, by so many gone, so close to me.
8. The opportunity to pass on my mother’s love.
7. My mother’s love, so powerful that it propels me still, a dozen years past her death.
6. My father’s longevity, his love, and his unwillingness to give up on optimism.
5. The fact that my sister and her family continue to persevere.
4. The fact that, here and now, my own immediate family is safe, sound, and full-bellied.
3. The emerging existence of our son, and that he will be a he.
2. My daughter’s existence, illuminated by her remarkable mind and spirit.
1. My beloved: that she found me, that she is all of who she is, that she feels so deeply.
May that for which we are all grateful continue to expand our hearts, and may the gratitude of us all multiply and deepen. For those who are suffering today, I send you love.
Lesbian Dad is written by a parent who answers to the name "Baba" and works toward a world in which amor does indeed vincit omnia. 
Thanks for the link to the buddist site. I appreciate it.
I am so very glad. I have learned a great deal from Pema Chödrön’s teachings about Tibetan Buddhism, and this practice of tonglen has been incredibly helpful for me, probably even sanity-preserving, in situations as intense as my nephew’s pain and suffering during his battle with cancer, to as modest as my child’s nightmares.
That must have been rough, Your nephew . It is good to know that you are still sane. Thanks again.