Piles of baby smiles, smeared cake,
Wobbly bike rides, missing front teeth,
Each brings a smile, a memory
I've kept them in my heart.
First day of school, grin wide
Backpack bigger than your little body.
Sending you, without me to buffer
The social customs, the language barrier
But you were sure and confident.
You were right, my worries unfounded.
Today...your last day of school.
Tousled hair..grumpy on being woken.
You want it over...you're ready
To move on..conquer the world.
Different feelings than the first day.
No snapshots this morning you say.
Save it for the graduation day.
I try to respect your wishes
I quickly snap a mind picture.
Your smile, your scowl, your nonchalance
To be kept in my heart.
The worries that I still have
Hoping you make the good choices.
Sending you, without me to buffer
Into college life, all the responsibilities.
You are still sure and confident.
I pull the memories from deep
Kept for all these many years
For a moment such as this.
You were right that first day.
Reassure myself that you're right today.
I can't keep you to myself.
The world is ready for you.
You're ready for the world.
God bless and keep you, Son.
Inspired by the word~ Kept
Oh Kristi....it's so hard to let go..I missed you. It was nice to see you at my blog the other day..it felt like a nice visit from a friend. I love this!
ReplyDeleteKristi-
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ayala. Welcome back. This one tugged at the strings of my heart. There is so much we want to keep.
I love the part about the mind picture. The whole thing was so descriptive, I felt like I was there!!
ReplyDeleteLove how you pulled out those memories that mean world -- to any mother. No, we can't keep them to ourselves as much as I understand the instinct. I cope with tears.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how to deal with that. I just let my son walk to the bus stop by himself this week. and secretly spied on him the whole way.:)
ReplyDeleteVery nice poem.
I can relate to every piece of this picture you paint...right down to grouchy morning boy. Reminds me of Mary treasuring all the memories of her growing boy in her heart ~ Luke 2:19, 51-52. He'll do great!
ReplyDeleteSome days they walk toward independence, and other days they leap. God bless and keep you both.
ReplyDelete"I quickly snap a mind picture" - yes, I do that too!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your son on graduating - so much adventure ahead of him...
I want to keep this in my pocket for the next 16 years.
ReplyDeleteAww! Congrats to your son :-) P.S. I stumbled across your blog and stayed for a while to browse around and listen to your awesome playlist!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're storing both the smile and the scowl in your heart. The scowl is an undeniable part of this time of life. May as well celebrate it and make the best of it!
ReplyDelete