If I could, I would

...take the frown off my son's face and heal the pain that he carries like an invisible crown of thorns -- without hurting anyone else.

...help my daughter blossom into a young woman who owns her strengths.

...ease the depression of her friends, who cry out for the love of their parents, seduced by drugs, or a man's embrace, caught in mental illness, unable to be active in the lives of their children.

...take away the sting of self-hatred, insecurity, jealousy, and all the other things that keep us stuck.

...have the wisdom to know when to speak, and when to be quiet.

...make other Washington voices more potent than that of the National Rifle Association.

...make this rain go away, so that my neighbors wouldn't have to cope with more basement water and mold.

...be more frivolous.

....understand the fundamentals of statistics, and not cry in class when I don't get it.

...help the Boston Red Sox, one of the best teams in baseball, stop their collapse and turn the pennant race into a real battle.

I would. I really would.

But since apparently I can do very few of these things, maybe I better focus on what I can accomplish.

Write a check for a math tutor -- now that's an idea. I just need to find the checkbook.