Hello, my friends, and welcome to Monday morning motivation with John O'Leary.

I record these so that you may begin your week in awe and on fire with a burst of inspiration.

And as you know, listeners by now, these Monday morning,

we either begin with a quote, which is common, or a question, which we will utilize today.

So here's my question for you right now. Is it possible to love the very thing that you once feared?

Let me say that again. I want you to make sure you understand the question and your answer

to it because here we go. This one matters today. Is it possible to love the very thing you

once feared? This was a question Erigenus wrestled with as he held his own little daughter

for the first time. Because the pregnancy was normal, the test revealed nothing,

and the delivery went smoothly. Eric and his wife expected a healthy child. Everything went perfectly

as planned. Until, until everything changed. The doctors shared with the new parents that their little girl was

very sick. She needed surgery now, and she would have lifelong special needs. On that first day of

little Anastasia's life, Eric could not have fathomed that this little child the world viewed

as less than perfect would become the very embodiment of true perfection.

He could not imagine in those painful first moments when he first struggled how he could

possibly ever fully love this little girl he wasn't yet prepared for, that this would be

the child, this would be the little girl who would teach him what true

unconditional love looks like in action. And yet, on that first day of her life, already struggling

with health challenges, as a father held his daughter, a commitment was made to be with her,

to accept her, to grow with her, to learn from her, to

protect her, and to love her. Eric Janice is a world-renowned composer, and while waiting for sweet

Anastasia to recover from one of her early surgeries, he opened his journal and wrote his

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