My Heart Turns Cartwheels

Sometimes my kids surprise me -- in a good way.

When they were little, they shared everything with us -- the little accomplishments, the disappointments, the boo boos, their fears, their joys. I knew their hearts. I saw their creativity and their dreams and hopes, daily. They didn't hold back.

As they have grown into young adults, I find comfort in seeing little glimpses of their hearts and dreams and hopes. It makes my heart do cartwheels to know them -- even a little -- as they become independent and share their lives with their dearest friends and now, long term significant others. Those moments that I am privileged to grasp, make me smile.

And so, here is a poem my daughter wrote. It made my heart turn cartwheels -- because it gave me a little peek into her heart. And, it affirmed many things that I already knew about her.

I hope it makes you smile, too.
Just a little.

Apologies

I apologize
That I can’t sit still
That I have no interest
In the Digestive Fate of A Sandwich.
I must confess
I am slightly distracted
By the giraffes
Playing jump-rope in my mind.
And though no one seems to notice
There is a very awkward man
In a garbage-bag poncho
Yelling for Moses
Across the street.
And the perfect leaf,
Once a parking ticket,
Once a trapeze artist,
Is laying trampled and soggy
Next to an abandoned shoe.
So please forgive me
If I seem a bit preoccupied:
There is music playing in my head
And I would much rather
Be befriending dragons.
[Or helping the awkward poncho-man
Look for Moses.]