i sit behind the blind
and watch as you try to
pick up your toy while
you lean over the hammock

braids askew
sun dress pulled down to your waist
in an attempt to make
"a long skirt"

you left your Chai Linn hat
in your cubby
so i made you "a princess hat"
by pinning costume jewelry
to an old hiking hat

you are a princess

you lean and fall

it just takes once

that was all it took for
you to know
how to balance yourself

5 years old and so wise

mama made bad choices
daddy made bad choices

i hope i made a good one


you've been with me since age 2

i bought your first big girl bed
potty trained you

bought your first pair of panties
took pictures of the first day at "school"

held you when you had bad dreams
lugged you back and forth to therapy

rode with you in the ambulance
when croup was taking your breath

watched you go from "Blues Clues"
to "Barbie"

listened as you disclosed your first kiss
and chose your first boyfriend

sat by as you swallowed
the first piece of gum

it only took once

the first vacation--
Perdido Beach Alabama

you followed Gipa
across the sand

picking up every remnant of
sea shell you could find

Christmas programs
santa on the roof
club houses and secrets
planting the first seed
and watching the sunflower grow

cousins and giggles
inflatable beds and movies

bubbles to braids
the proper lip shade for your age
Clear!

learning the names of my roses
watering the plants
picking the first carrot and
making cookies

now, mama is making good choices

my heart strangles me and

i hope i made a good one

just like everything else in my life
i was a late bloomer
when it came to riding a bike

i preferred the safety
of my little sister's tricycle
and the steadiness of three wheels

the twins, ricky and ronnie,
(the bully monsters that everyone had
in their neighborhood) made fun

i had a crush on ricky, he
was the CUTE one

and he rode a bike past my
house every day

so i mounted my steed
and pedaled my way across
the lawn

initially, my motions were jerky
but soon i was maneuvering
and turning with ease

my confidence grew

the next morning i
couldn't wait to ride past
the twins house

my heart almost choked me
when i noticed ricky in the front yard

he laughed

i held my head high
as my heart hit the banana seat

but i rode on up the hill
and enjoyed the breeze in my hair
and the sun on my face

and i still ride a bike

drops of rain tickle the soft wind admonishing my roses to unveil fresh petals of memories that bring treasures into my life

Saturday Coffee

I sit here in my robe-
late-- on a Saturday morning
raindrops are hurling themselves at my window
and thunder is filling the air

I love it!
Bring on the storms--
the nitrogen that fills the air
will coax my roses to open
and sing for me

Coffee in hand
and the kitchen a wreck
I am so content sitting here
reading my fellow bloggers:

perspectives on life
a great story
a poem that humbles my soul
the sadness of a broken heart
the struggle to raise children
...and the joy of looking into their eyes...
...the awakening of their minds
the success of a good run
beautiful pictures

All in All

Life is so good!

May God bless this
wonderful nation of ours
and may He always grant us the
freedom to have a
day of peace and
blogging!

Blood drawn
from the surface
of truth

once known

now gone

Staff of life...
light-

strikes
the shell of
what WAS.

tomorrows
and todays
----gone...

yesterday
was
LIFE----

now gone

Staff of Life

Revive!!

Cycles of Life -
spring,
summer,
Fallen into
winter--- that begins the

Sequence of Change-
sighs,
sleepless nights,
cries of
Acceptance of...

The Seasons of Age-
crawl,
walk,
run
Kneel to the...

Succession of Days-
dawn,
day,
dusk and
then Night becomes...

Birth of Knowledge
innocence,
afraid,
wisdom,
Appreciation of...

Cycles of Life

However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in Paradise. Love your life. Thoreau

Thanks

Thank you God for today!!!!!!

where does trust go
when it runs away?

will it come back to see me?
will it still want to play?

and
tickle
my heart
like it did yesterday...

where does trust go
when it runs away?

where does my heart
lay it's head
when it sleeps?

when
the
work is
too hard
and my needs it can't meet...

where does my heart
lay it's head
when it sleeps?

where does love drink
when the thirst is all gone?

when it's dry
and confused
and the will
won't return...

where does love drink
when the thirst is all gone?

where does the sun go
when it's shine goes away?

i know it's not sleeping-
the stars will all say...

it's warming
another
whose life needs
the day.

but it will
return when
it's ready
to play.

that's where the sun goes
when it's shine goes away!