All things pass
The wind that curves around our house also touches yours
Carries a kiss from one heart to another
Memories through the years lose some power to gain others
No pain is absolute, no weariness so deep that love cannot endure
We bend rather than break
bowed by the storms that would strip away all patience and grace
catching our breath when the eye of the storm passes over
praying for the strength to keep going
waiting for a day when it is enough, when the storm is over, when the spirit of that sweet child shines through again with a glance
hard-won, this glance, this respite from storms
drive your roots deep into the ground again and draw strength in the earth
draw your breath from the sky
may my fires reach out to share warmth when you need it
water to quench a thirst
comfort to match what once you gave me


I wrote this for a friend of mine who's having a rough day.
Time was that every day I'd tuck my girl in with a kiss and a thanksgiving that one more day was ended without one of us broken. Then it was every other day. Today was a good day, one of the rare ones when everything came together nicely at the end and she not only initiated contact but used her words to let us know precisely what she wanted. Even though she treated me like chopped liver the whole rest of the past 24 hours, I didn't care. When that small blond head is tucked up under my chin, I am just grateful that I sometimes get to benefit from her joy.