It was only brown rice with shrimp and broccoli in a peanut sauce, but there truly is nothing like getting to cook in your own kitchen, with your own knives and bowls (if you can remember where you’ve stored them the last time they came out of the dishwasher) for your husband in your very own apartment, together with him for the first time in said apartment since January. (That’s 11 months, in case you don’t feel like doing the math.) It’s paradise. It will be over too quickly, I know, but just as I was starting to bemoan that fact, I caught this video, and was quickly brought back into line with tears of admiration and humility. On one hand, it’s heart-wrenching to be sure. But on the other? Inspiring beyond words.

Please meet Brenden – an old soul who will undoubtedly inspire for years to come:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-vaGctUJJY