I can hold
The weight
Of worries
Right alongside
The deepest
Of joys
I’ve had lots
Of experience
Held them for
Many others
Over the years
Moms and dads
Grandmas
Grandpas
As their arms
Held the tiniest
Of beings
Overcome
With love
Responsibility
And exhaustion-
One gentle push
Of their feet
Against the floor
And fears fade
With my back
And forth rhythm
That lends itself
To lullabies-
It’s okay
Sit down
Take a breath
You can trust me
Morning whispers
From a cool
Breeze as it
Wakens the trees
Mid-day melodies
Sweetly strung
Across the sky
Celebrating blue
Evening laughter
From familiar voices
Around the table
Listening…no need to speak
Middle-of-the-night
Soft breaths
From the rise
And fall of
A newborn’s chest
Resting against mine
As we gently rock-
I can still hear them
As I crawl back into bed
Place my hand on your chest
And wait for sleep to come
Baby, sweet baby
All we know
About you
At this moment
Is your last name
Baby Morris
And that you have
A strong heartbeat
Just beginning
To grow, still
Time to prepare
For your arrival-
But wait!
We do know
A few other
Things about you-
You are already loved
You already bring joy
Just by being you-
Who you are now
And who you will become-
I can’t wait to meet you!
The kids shared this amazing news with us a few weeks ago! Needless to say, we are beyond excited! ❤️
Such a sweet way to tell me. I’ve got some work to do!
An absolute
Necessity
Without it
My days
Are done
And yet
Once you
Came along
I learned
A new way
Of holding it-
Not the way
Of childhood
Mad jumping
Up and down
Cheeks puffed
Face turning blue
No-this holding
Was different-
Unable to sleep
Tiptoeing into
Your room
Late at night
Staring into
The darkness
Careful not
To breathe
Until I could see
Your tiny chest
Steadily rising
Up and down
Making sure
You were
Breathing
My kids are grown, but I remember those moments vividly. Sneaking into their rooms to make sure they were still breathing. And although those days are long gone, there are still times when I hold my breath for them.
Times when things aren’t quite going their way. Times when their hearts hurt. Times when they have big decisions to make or finals to take. That is the beauty of parenting. I will always be their mom. Happy Mother’s Day!
I hope you enjoy this second edition of Simply Sunday! A few more words this week, but still short and sweet. ❤
When we met
Her hair was
Snowy white
Sight failing
Unsteady
On her feet
Missed her husband
(Harvey) terribly
And younger days
Famous in the family
For having dreams
About trees-
A pine tree?
A baby boy
Is on the way
A flowering tree?
A baby girl
She was never wrong
My husband’s
Grandmother-
We called her Mimi
I’m glad her
Tree dreams
Came true
My parents rocked me when I was a baby. They sang lullabies, read stories. Made sure I was cared for. I grew up around babies-younger cousins and my brother. I rocked, fed, sang, and played with them. The example had been set for me. When I had my own children, I knew what to do, or at least, where to begin.
Not everyone has that experience. And some that do become so bombarded with the struggles of this life, they forget what is vital. When this happens, the next generation suffers.
Little brains and bodies don’t develop as they should. Gaps are created in connecting, learning, functioning. I see the results of these holes in growth every day. Improvement is possible, but it takes time and focused intention.
And then there are those days…brief moments of light shine through. A smile, a hug, a lightbulb turning on. The reason may not always be clear, but the result is cherished. I wrote the following poem after one of those days.
Holding on to the hope for more like it in the future. ❤
The first time
I saw you
My only thought-
Do you ever smile?
Not even a hint
In your distant
Young eyes
And then one day
A toothy grin
Shone through
Your tough shell
Brief and unsure
But sweetly present
Reminding me
That you are
A child in need of
Reasons to smile
Hoping another
Reason will find
You again soon
Turning that
Toothy grin into
A beaming smile-
Lasting and confident
I would never have thought of using those two words in the same sentence, until today. Our current state of social distancing and quarantine, however, has given me new perspectives on many things. And after my experience this afternoon, I can safely say technology can be beautiful.
It has been over ten years since I taught at the University of Tulsa. Two of my then piano students, now friends, convinced me to get a Facebook. This kind of technology was definitely new to me at that time. I was a little hesitant but soon embraced it as a way to communicate and connect.
These two girls, Sara and Grace, are now married. Grace has three precious children and Sara is expecting her first. Even though they initially helped me appreciate the usefulness of social media, I did not think of it as beautiful. Wouldn’t you know, my change of perspective involved these girls.
Today I attended a virtual baby shower via Zoom to celebrate Sara’s baby girl. Grace was one of the hosts. Was it the way we hoped to celebrate? No. We would have preferred to be physically present, giving hugs, eating cake, and drinking punch. But right now, that is not possible.
Celebrations, however, are still possible! Thanks to technology, a group of people came together. We came together to express our love for Sara, her husband, and for this precious baby who will be here soon.
We watched as Sara opened gifts that had been mailed or dropped off. We laughed and looked at baby pictures of each other. We listened as she received parenting advice given with love and wisdom. No, we were not in the same room. But our celebration was no less meaningful.
Yes, it was different from our usual traditions. Yes, I would have loved to hug my friends today. But the most important thing is for the expectant parents to feel loved and prepared to welcome their little one. And hopefully, today brought both. I’d say today was a picture of beautiful technology at work. ❤
Piano Girl 