Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Poems for My Kids


Every Christmas, I write poems for my kids, and this year I'll share them here, to invite you into the celebration of what God is doing in these young lives. The poem listed first is for my youngest, my daughter. The other two poems, for my middle son (originally posted Jan. 11), and for my oldest son (originally posted Jan. 4), are included below it.

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Here’s to my sweet hummingbird,
My happy, bouncing kangaroo;
My darling daughter, nearly three,
Oh, how I do delight in you!

Those bright blue eyes are like the blue
That fills the bottom of a flame:
Indomitable soul of fire,
And gorgeous as a summer’s day.

I love your sweetness and your fire,
I love them both, oh yes, it’s true;
And even when my patience frays,
Yes, I still love you through and through.

You play at brothers’ games so well
That they adore their sister’s ways;
But walk in your own world, too,
Of dresses, dolls, and girlish grace.

You have your Mommy’s heart, but still,
Sometimes in you, myself I see:
You love your books and you love tea;
You roll your sleeves up just like me.

And you love music, song and dance;
Sometimes you sing, and make us hush;
Sometimes you tell us what to sing,
And we obey (because we must!)

So Merry Christmas, little one!
You fill our house with charm and cheer,
And every day we share with you,
Oh, we’re so grateful that you’re here.

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Give me that smile, those deep brown eyes,
Give me the joy of being five!
Son, you remind us every day
Of the wonder of being alive.

We love the way you love your friends;
Your greatest joy is company:
Just like Great-Grandma Dourte did,
You love “together” ardently.

Thanks for seizing my solitude
And filling it with hugs and games;
Thanks for wanting to be with me
Even on my grumpy days.

I know that being five is hard,
With disappointment, sadness, pain;
But you bounce right back with boundless joy,
And want to do it all again.

I love your curiosity,
Questions that make me scratch my head;
I wish that I could answer them,
Find some response to what you’ve said.

But often all I do is laugh
Because your questions bring me joy;
You remind me of days gone by,
When I was five, a “middle” boy.

You’ve been so brave this year, my son,
In life at home and life at school;
We delight in your happiness,
And we’re so thankful that you’re you.

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Hooray for seven years of life,
For seven years of loving you!
My son, you are a joy to us;
This Christmas we delight in you.

We love the way you love the world,
With all its countries, all its states,
All its capitals, all its flags,
All its cultures, all its ways.

This world is great in every part
Because it’s made by God’s own hand;
But you, my son, were made like Him:
More grand than all the world is grand.

Just like you love to learn about
The lands that lie both near and far;
Just so, we love to learn of you,
And the wonder of who you are.

This year we’ve seen you grow so far—
You are helpful and sincere;
You love your brother, sister, pets;
You fill our days and hours with cheer.

And you’ll grow stronger, wiser yet,
As we are graced to walk with you,
To see you join the legacy
Of being good, and kind, and true.

So here’s to maps and flags and games,
And here’s to reams of paper used!
We’ve loved the pictures, puzzles, cards,
And all the ways that you’ve been you!