PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Hi…and before you start to wonder…yes, it’s me…Violet…

and I want it to be clear…

I am one of the 385,000 babies born each day of every year.

But I speak, as do all the other 384,999 babies about to evolve and grow,

to all our new parents out there…with the 10 things we’d like you all to know.

You will be receiving a lot of advice…some good…some bad…

and, at first, you won’t be able to tell the two apart….

so consensus from all of us is…trust in yourselves and always follow your heart.

Please never compare me to other babies…life is not a contest…

we babies are not in some kind of competition…or race…

We’re all different…we have our own uniqueness…

and we grow at our own pace.

Your job is to help me learn about myself and life…

you won’t always be able to protect me from the lightening and the rain.

but you can be there soothe me when I’m hurting…

and help to ease my pain.

I will make mistakes…that part of being human…

that’s what happens when into life I am immersed…

and remember…this is important…

if you want me to believe in myself…you must believe in me first.

I will only be a chid for a while…

be patient with me…be forgiving and treat me compassionately…

even those times I make it difficult

for you to be the parents you imagined you would be.

Finally, remember to love me no matter what…

it’s the first and last thing I need you to know

your love is something I always will need…

something I’ll never outgrow.

So there you have it…10 things you should know…

at least I think that’s the right amount…

after all I was only born a few days ago…

I can’t even talk yet…

you can’t possibly expect me to count!

She came into the bookstore…ahead of her mom and Grandma

she toddled up and down each aisle…her name is Olivia.

They were in the store to buy some books…and as they lingered there a while

I did everything I could think of…to make Olivia smile.

I thought as they were leaving the store 

and Mom eventually took Olivia into her arms

how parents and grandparents do their best 

to keep their babies happy and free from harm.

And it made me wonder…

when we encounter random people throughout our day…

what if we try to see the baby they once were

and treated them that way.

We would look into their eyes and smile…

and for effort we would not lack

as we’d try every way we could…to make them smile back.

We would do our best to put them at ease…to treat them like a star

we would tell them without reservation…how beautiful they are.

We would encourage them in whatever they do…no feat would be to small

We would applaud all their successes…we would catch them when they fall.

We would try to spend more time with them…we’d find more time to share

We would show them by our actions…they are important…that we care.

We would enjoy every moment with them…all these random people we would meet

understanding at the end of the day…this is what makes our life complete.

So I have to thank Olivia…and the spell she put me under…

because when I think about the smile she left with me…once again…I wonder…

If we treated everyone like Olivia…with love and dignity and grace…

If we treated everyone like Olivia…wouldn’t this world be a better place….

We have spent a lifetime developing an understanding of our heartstrings…

discovering our happiness, our love, and our enjoyment…in all the little things.

Things like popcorn at the movies, falling leaves, kind words, 

banana pudding, chocolate ice cream, the singing of the birds.

Puppies…singing in the shower, counting all the stars,

holding hands, family dinners, eating peanut butter from a jar.

Flying kites, reading a good book, doing something totally unplanned

Climbing a mountain, eating s’mores, 

walking near the ocean with our bare feet in the sand.

Butterflies, ladybugs, rainbows, the shape of clouds up in the sky

Hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day…chasing fireflies.

Cookies warm out of the oven…the smile of a bride as she walks down the aisle 

Children, grandchildren, root beer floats…a hug, a kiss…a smile.

Since we continue to discover new little things with every dawn

It makes sense that our list of little things…goes on and on and on.

And to this list today…with a happy heart…this joyous news we bring…

born yesterday (November 15th) into our family…our newest little thing.

Her name is yet to be determined but I’m happy to report 

baby girl, proud Mom and Dad are doing great.

She is 18.8 inches tall…and I’ll have to leave you guessing

because one never asks a lady…even a little lady… 

to tell us of her weight….

And as new great-grandparents…also just born yesterday

when it comes to Deborah and me…

we are over the moon with excitement…as happy as can be!

Speaking for the other great-grandparents, grandparents, parents

aunts and uncles who were also born yesterday….

we are all so happy little one…you decided to come our way.

One look at your face, baby girl, tells us you were worth the wait…

and reminds us when two people fall in love…

the kind of magic and the beauty 

true love can create.

I am grateful for our 

daughter

granddaughter

great-granddaughter

niece

as we draw closer and closer to the moment of her birth

for all the joy and wonder she’s already given our family

before setting foot upon the Earth.

There was a dusting of snow in North Carolina…

where our first great granddaughter is due to arrive any day.

and as we wait down here in Florida 

for that call or text to come our way.

and this time in limbo seems to move little slow

I started thinking how our great granddaughter-to-be

is like an acorn in the snow

How that baby, like an acorn, starts out no bigger than a pea

and will grow into a beautiful fruit upon our family tree.

How she needs to be planted with care 

and nurtured…for her roots to firmly take hold

if she is ever to enjoy the colors of Autumn, the flowers of spring

the summer heat and winter cold.

How from the time she peeks her head out…

just like that acorn in the snow 

she will always need patience, love and caring…

however tall she grows…

And even though she’s not here yet…

and her first word has not yet been said…

as I sit here awaiting her arrival

my mind has moved ahead…

years into the future…when we’ll wonder…

where did the time go

as we remember back to that moment

when she was no bigger…

than an acorn in the snow.

What is it we love about a baby’s smile?  

What’s the magic in their smile we all see?

Is it purity, innocence, acceptance, happiness

beatitude…peace and harmony.

Or…when we see a baby smile…is it more than, at first, it seems?

Perhaps we see a shadow of our hopes…a reflection of our dreams.

A baby’s smile gives us a chance to think about our journey…

where we’ve gone in life…how far.

a reminder of who we once were…

and in this moment…who we are.

It’s possible…behind each baby’s smile we also see

a reminder of the person…we were meant to be. 

If a baby’s smile has the ability 

to give our heart and spirits a lift…

then every time a baby smiles at us

we should think of it as a gift.

And if an innocent baby can give a gift 

to someone he or she doesn’t even know..

perhaps that is the reason

we tend to love their smile so.

 There are many perks to working in a bookstore…

There’s the books, the music playing in the background…

the wide variety of people I get to meet….

but one unexpected but welcomed perk…are all those baby feet.

Parents enter with their babies in strollers…and it’s the parents’ faces I first greet…

but before I see the baby’s face…dangling out in front…I see those baby feet.

As the stroller rolls by me…every baby who’s awake…I greet.

I wave and smile…happy to attach a face to those tiny baby feet.

But I have to admit that moment when I first see those baby feet

for me is a little emotional…beautiful…yet somewhat bittersweet.

It brings me back to when I held my children and grandchildren as babies 

a memory I love to repeat

When what amazed me about the life I was holding in my arms

were those tiny baby feet.

I did not know at that time…in that moment so joyous and sweet

that I would have such a short time to enjoy their baby feet.

I did not realize back then…at that time…how could I know

with the persistence of Father Time how quickly those baby feet would grow.

Which makes me want to say to every parents behind every stroller

of every baby I happen to meet….

They are going to grow up fast…

so now is the time…

to take some time

and enjoy those baby feet.