Message

How do I fit a lifetime of gratitude into countless reams of paper….infinite virtual pages?
Where do I begin?
From the beginning you fought to be here…despite the circumstances
Flew into the world like a bird in flight
Your mom still owes the doctor a new vacation shirt
You learned to walk before you could crawl…
And run before you could walk
It’s a wonder you didn’t realize that you were born to fly
I watched in awe as you picked us up each time
Learned the lesson….even through the tears
Drew shapes around our bruises and called them badges
You would have made a soldier jealous
Witnessed you build bridges over moats that were to intended to keep us stranded and alone
Planted sunflower seeds along the edges to remind yourself that sometimes the silver lining may be the murky water that surrounds you
You found beauty in the corners and crevices of us
Safeguarded them like hidden treasures
You did this unintentionally
Stretched your limbs beyond your reach because they said you couldn’t
And learned to bend thru life like a yogi
Defied their odds
Sipped from far too many cups of empty promises
Filled your belly with the armor of life
Poured your soul from between thighs that know far more pain than pleasure
Yet believed in us when anyone said otherwise
You never let us be victim
Never took pride in survivor
Found more reasons to get up than lay down
….even when you had no choice
I look at you from a place of memory
Of tales that would tell scarier stories than those told by firelight
And of days dancing barefoot in the rain regardless of who watched
I was never afraid
Not of boogeyman under floorboards or those that slipped in little girls bedrooms and beds
Not of the yesterdays that wanted to break you…make you uglier than the hands that reached for you without consent
You never broke…Never let the weight of harsh words and even harsher hands restrain you
You saved us
Built us a rolling castle of dreams that covered 2,500 miles over and over again
Taught yourself that love wasn’t something you gained
But something you gave….freely and without intention
Accepted your own flaws and called them beautiful
Stood up to your doubts and challenged them
You wear your woman strong
Even the stain of betrayal pales to your beauty
Regal in your humility
Are a beacon of light to those unaware or even scared of their shine
So I look at you
...grateful to the child we were and the woman we've become
And proud to call you home