PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

They fell in love when they were young

and at that time their love took center stage

even as they lyrics changed throughout the years

adding jobs and friends…

as the two of them slowly aged. 

Then one day their children took center stage

and soon they found…

their love…still strong

could now be spread around.

Then the children grew and the house seemed empty

until their grand children took center stage…

and they found their love for each other and family 

remained strong

as they both reached middle age.

Now, much older…with a great-granddaughter

Added to a family that commands the center stage…

they have settled down together

and are enjoying the glory of old age.

I wish every person in the world would understand

would somehow come to see

how every person in the world

is part of one large extended family…

That we can make this world a better place

with less violence, less prejudice, less mayhem

If whatever troubles people are facing…

we help each other through them.

How lucky I have been in life…

to have a loving wife and a beautiful blended family…

to have a home in Florida where our children grew up

and a family cabin in NC….

If we are lucky…one beautiful family and one home

is a milestone we will reach…..

I am grateful I’ve been blessed….

for having two of each.

As I’ve watched my children,

and my grandchildren grow up

I am grateful that I have been around

to enjoy all the steps they have been taking…

And I look forward to enjoying

the steps they take from here…

and all the steps our great-granddaughter will me making.

It was a wonderful afternoon…one that would make any parent glad…

We spent it with our grandson Damien, his wife Trista, 

our great-granddaughter Violet and Trista’s mom and dad.

They came to the cabin for a visit…yes, including their dog Ghost, the entire bunch

and to make things even more special…they brought along pizzas for lunch.

Adding to this beautiful afternoon…again I must assert…

Deborah made a salad to go with the pizzas and and eclair cake for dessert.

Getting a chance to know Trista’s parents was awesome…one we won’t forget

and one of the highlights for the old folks…was getting to hold Violet.

Holding Violet in our arms…we all felt energized, exhilarated and inspired… 

I was blessed to walk around holding her for so long…my arms got tired.

She would cry and I’d walk and rock her to and fro…it’s a memory I shall keep

as she gazed up at me with her wide eyes, then slowly close them and fell asleep.

How we love moments like this…a moment when two people blend…

and how we wish we could stop time…so that moment would never end. 

We have such a short time to hold our children, grandchildren 

and great-grandchildren safe within our arms…

A short time when they are with us every minute 

and we can keep them safe from harm.

So we learn to cherish these moments…

while we can still hold them in our arms

where, in the intimacy of the moment, we can enjoy their beauty and their charms.

There will come a day when Violet will be too big to carry in my arms…

when I’ll wish in the course of a rhyme

That, for a moment, just for a moment, we could go back in time…

To this particular day…when I was energized and inspired…

the day I walked and rocked and cradled my great-granddaughter 

for so long 

my arms got tired.

I am grateful that no matter where I’ve put down roots

no matter where I’ve dwelled…

I’ve never been far from my family tree

for I am rooted there as well.

I am grateful for having lived long enough…

having traversed life’s ebb and flow

to be around to watch my family grow 

and grow and grow.

And I am just as grateful every day

for all the friends I’ve made along the way.

Finally as a new year begins

as I turn the next corner…the next bend…

I’m grateful for my friends who have become my family

and how my family have become my friends…

I am grateful this holiday season…

or for any time spent in the arms of my family…

So when they say upon leaving…”See you soon.”

I can answer…not soon enough for me.

I wish we were all blessed…

for what a wonderful world this would be…

If our first words to everyone we meet

are…Welcome to our family.