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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Bigger Picture Moment: Only Tomorrows

The saying goes: every child is born into a different family. 
And I believe it's true.

The first was surrounded by my own self-doubt.
The desire for perfection in the scheduling of hours.  Minutes.
Not out of any well-thought plan,
hers was a world more ordered by her mother's confusion.
Confusion needed to be remedied by order.
The watching of cues and over-analyzation of approaches.
But she was adored.  Never left alone willingly.
Fretted over.

And loved so much that we weren't sure
how another child would fit.
(Perfectly, that's how.
Like a pinkie being grasped for the first time
by tiny new fingers, that's how.)

The second was -- had to be -- less structured in her days. 
We were more calm than we'd been before.
(Although still over-wired by many standards, I'm sure.)
She reaped the benefit of our first mistakes,
and the drawbacks of our carelessness around dangerous objects.

She is still fretted over, though.
Certainly adored.

Hers is a world that's neither known loneliness
nor over-bearing attention.
But being the baby, she remains more attached.
She's less venturesome, because nobody has transplanted her yet.
Her independence is untested.

We pay attention to them now not out of worry
or the need to do things just right,
(although that does creep in at times)
but because we can't take our eyes off of them.


They are bright and shiny,
like bundles of jewels floating on
sun-touched waves.
(Or resting in overgrown grasses, as the case may be.)

If each new addition to a family is loved in new and different ways,
it must follow that each new day
is filled with chances
to love
in new and different ways.

Only tomorrows lay between us and
another new family member.
Only tomorrows.
Tomorrows that will shape the world our next child will enter.

Tomorrow will be beautiful.
Bright and shining and different,
no matter the shadows on overgrown grasses.





We're seeing the Bigger Picture through simple moments -- moments that force us to stop and take notice of the ways our worlds are important, meaningful, and beautiful. Please join us today at Alita's place! Grab the button, link up and then go forth and encourage the two people before you while they are walking this journey of intentional living.

11 comments:

  1. This is so sweet...love these posts!

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  2. Very nice. Brought tears to my eyes - thinking of my little ones - what we did back when they were younger - how we worried about adding to the family - who would be cheated attention - would I be able to take a deep breath and enjoy all this.... Trying to really absorb it all now - the chaos, good days, bad days. Your poem is a nice reminder to do so.

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  3. so sweet, and my favorite part was "it must follow that each new day is filled with chances to love in new and different ways." So true!!

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  4. "They are bright and shiny,
    like bundles of jewels floating on
    sun-touched waves."

    ... this post is elegant (and true!) and every single way.

    Alita

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  5. Sweet and lovely! Sarah, you brought tears to my eyes.only tomorrows indeed, but glorious chances for love to find new paths.

    My grandmother in law told me, your first gets 100% of your attention, your second 50, your third and fourth... Well they also have the attention of their siblings. And she said she grew up with her first. I think we all do.

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  6. You've got such a way with words Sarah! Love this!

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  7. Love this so much.

    "If each new addition to a family is loved in new and different ways,
    it must follow that each new day
    is filled with chances
    to love
    in new and different ways."

    Gorgeous, true.

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  8. It's funny how we change as much as they do. This is wonderful! And I can't wait for Wednesday. =>

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  9. Love, love, love this one today. It is perfect!!

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  10. i love what you say about each day being a chance to love in new and different ways. beautiful.

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  11. Yay! It came back!!!

    Here's to many new beautiful tomorrow's!

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Hmm...And how did that make you FEEL?