The day we Laid you to rest The sun shone brightly The wind blew Stronger than A breeze And carried A cold bite Uneven, at best Like my emotions Visited again today Knelt down By the dirt And smiled Hi, Dad The sun shone brightly No breeze to cool the air The sky was a beautiful blue Somehow, felt balanced- Surprisingly, so did I
Hi, Honey
Soft baby blanket Tiny pink hat Your sweet face All that we Could see All that we Needed to see Eyes still closed Your new cry Broke my heart Hi, Honey Your dad Held you close My heart filled To overflowing My baby Holding His baby
We closely watched As our children grew Each part of us Each their own A continuation Of family trees With roots and branches You and I will never know- We’ve heard stories of Transplanted roots Broken branches Colorful leaves We’ve watched More than once As one season ended And a new one began Love and joy seeded Along with pain And heartache- Seems strange Speaking of them In the same breath Yet, here they are Wise falling leaf Innocent Spring bud Quietly encouraging me To embrace this current season-
Do not look too far ahead. Do not look too far behind. Do not hang on so tight, That you miss The peaceful wind Blowing thru your hair.
Simply hearing You arrived safely And every ounce Of worry disappeared Simply seeing Your sweet face And my heart Filled to overflowing- I am convinced Our capacity To love grows Exponentially With the birth Of a child And when that baby Is a grandchild- Well, I will keep Searching for words And let you know- It’s going to be an adventure! 💗
What does thirty years mean to you? If we look at it in terms of math-10,950 days, 262,800 hours, and 15,768,000 minutes. And yes, I did the math. Just don’t ask me to show my work! And while those huge numbers give a little sense of the time that has passed, they don’t quite do justice.
For me, a lot of ground has been covered in thirty years. It began with what I like to call a rescue. My life was a mess when I met Gart. I suppose he could say the same. But he found me, and that was that.
We were both ready for a commitment. That decision covered seven cities, one apartment, and seven houses. It also brought new jobs and a long list of friends.
What result are we most proud of? Three grown children and one beautiful daughter-in-law. Each of them is their own person. Each with their own gifts. Each holds kindness and the ability to accept others where they are.
Well, tomorrow is our official thirty-year anniversary. It is also the day before our first granddaughter’s due date. How appropriate. The beginning of year thirty will be celebrated while waiting on the birth of this new little person we already love.
Was I looking at the sky? Or was it a painting? Soft brushstrokes Blues, grays, whites Perfectly placed Caused a glitch In my perception- Even as the radiance Of the images Transformed My curious smile Did not want to accept An answer to my questions- Sometimes curiosity For curiosity’s sake Is more gratifying Than actually discovering A logical solution Was I looking at the sky? Or was it a painting? What do you think?
Giddy is not a word I use often. But today, it is the word that chose me. I suppose it fits an about-to-be first-time Gigi. I’ve been doing a countdown. Thirteen days or less! Twelve days or less! Eleven days or less! You get the idea. Probably driving everyone crazy, including the expectant parents.
It’s a different kind of waiting, for obvious reasons, but also because it is brand new. Everything about it. A new life, a new relationship, a new role. And after hearing from the kids today, I could hardly contain my excitement, emotions, and all the above. Probably still a few days out.
While writing this poem yesterday, I thought about childhood and how we sometimes lose wonder and awe in adulthood. Here’s to grandbabies, Gigis, and the gift of curiosity. I am ready to reclaim it!
Memories of you Make me smile Fried chicken leg In my little hands Sitting in your lap At the table You are smiling Wearing a white t-shirt- Maybe that is An actual picture Not a memory- Little red wagon Transportation For your first Grandchild, smiling As you pulled him Around the neighborhood Now that one I can recall- No longer having The opportunity To make memories With you makes me cry- A human response I know-time spent In the present In the physical Where Memories Are created For the future But we are So much more Than the physical Standing In this present Space and time And though I may not Understand it all And sometimes Feel sadness In every strand Of my being All the way To the core Hope lives both In the smiles And in the tears
I started the day with a two-minute word list writing exercise. Set the timer, start writing, and see where it goes. My list, not surprisingly, began with sadness and tears. But it ended with hope and future.
I haven’t used this exercise in a while. I’m glad I chose it today. Grateful for where it led.
My dad was proud of his grandkids and loved them very much. You can see it in the pictures. And they know it in their hearts.
He was so excited about becoming a great-grandpa. Even though he had not met this sweet new baby, he already loved her.
I know her mom and dad will tell her stories about all her great-grandparents someday. All the while, writing new stories to be shared in the future.
Thinking in terms Of my life story At this moment Feels a bit Daunting Contemplating What I know And wish I knew About my own Grandmothers Naturally shifts My perspective So much more They could have Would have said Given more time Asked more questions- Motivation to Open the book Begin writing One word One sentence One memory One song At a time
Row Your Boat, arrangement The Piano Guys, Kelley Morris, pianoAll Good, The Piano Guys, Kelley Morris, piano
The question We always ask Our children What do you Want to be When you Grow up? It’s funny I seem to be Answering That question For myself These days- When I grow up I want to hold Your tiny hand Watch your breath Rise and fall In the smallest Of motions Hear your cries Comfort your fears Feel the complete joy Only found In the heaviness Of rocking Back and forth In our favorite chair Reading our favorite stories Singing our favorite songs My heart younger As yours grows stronger
Piano Girl 