Need a break from the election coverage? Here’s one. Mara Eve Robbins of Floyd County won an essay contest in Real Simple magazine with this heartfelt account ofhow her 3-year-old daughter gave her the will to live after her husband’s sudden death. She and the Real Simple editorial staff have graciously allowed us to reprint the complete essay (click here to read):

I stood at the kitchen sink for a long time, water spilling over the kettle and splashing on my hand before I snapped back from wherever I had just gone.

Half the time I did not know where I was. Half the time I forgot what I was doing. You, my 3-year-old daughter, were the only person who could keep me focused, who could remind me of what was real.

Mara also shared the story behind the essay with me for the accompanying news article I wrote (click here to read):

When did you first understand the meaning of love?

Faced with that question, Mara Robbins knew what her answer would be. The moment she found something to live for after her husband’s sudden death left her adrift.

“It was something I had to write,” she said. “As soon as I saw that, that moment was in my head.“