So, Hope has her very own pipecleaner (yes, that's right)... it is a long story which involves her coercing me to pet her "pet worm." Anyway, earlier this week, my little sister, who is visiting us, shaped Hope's prized pipe cleaner into a heart and left it on her bookshelf for her to find. Hope was thrilled with this discovery and began carrying her heart with her everywhere and saying how much she loved it. But, if you are familiar with pipecleaners you know how easily they bend in and out of shape.
On several occasions I found myself remolding it back into a heart shape at the request of my toddler. I couldn't help but think to myself in those moments about how I must be shaping her real heart as I go about raising this daughter of mine. What a massive responsibility! 
Definitely worth some contemplation on a regular basis and some intentionality. A good friend and mentor of mine once wrote that “all the individual minutes (of childhood) will become the deep well from which my children drink.” More than once, as Hope brought her misshapen pipecleaner to me for repair, she said to me "mommy, fix my heart
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