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Month: August 2026

One Breath

joy and sorrow

felt

in a day

the same day

like today

the birth of a baby

the last of five

the passage of time

the turning

of days

all the memories made

the constant change

the rearrange

the growing up

and out

then decades later

the death

of the baby’s mother

on the day

the baby was born

… a baby no more

she’s a woman

in the world

a daughter

a sister

a wife

a mother

an aunt

a grandmother

a good friend

a seeker of joy

a believer of Grace

a human that makes mistakes

and owns ‘em

she understands

the symbolism

of life and death

the meaning of both

she’s rooted in her Faith

at peace with her choices

she knows

there’s more to life

than death

she knows

her mother’s in a better

place

free of pain and suffering and sorrow

free of earthly things

that box you in

she knows

there’s an Angel

by her side

ever waiting

with wings

TL

What a Gift

May

June

July

and then

there she was

sailing through

the door

in my arms

once more

no longer little

she’d jest driven

11 hours

from Texas

Home

racing her Daddy

down the interstate

when jest yesterday

she was driving me

round and round

the parking lot

and up the wall

and through

the neighborhood

and down the street

taller than me now

she laughed

and asked

have you shrunk !

yes

that’s what happens

when ‘ya get old

‘ya shrink

we share a laugh

like we do

her smile’s the same

with that same twinkle in her eye

she shows me her claws

and i look at ‘em

and nod

thinking ‘bout

when she was small

and how i clipped ‘em close

and painted ‘em Barbie pink

but 20 likes ‘em long

like pointy polished heels

with no pastel

she looks around

and says it feels like

she never left

but her hard hat

and steel-toe boots

tell another story

she’s been climbing

towers

and drafting specialized

diagrams

and giving presentations

and sitting in meetings

and coming up with solutions

and leading programs

and turning heads

and impressing the not so easily impressed

with her brilliant mind

and attention to detail

brains and beauty

and loves to laugh

she can read the room

and make sense of massive amounts of material

and comprehend it like a lawyer

she applies her insight

clear and concise

in a technical and efficient manner

like her Daddy does

they want her to come back

and intern next summer

and build her career there …

her life

she could take so many varied

paths …

med school

law school

PhD

build a business

a brand

be a model

be an artist

be a writer

or go straight to work

and climb the ranks

whatever it is… whatever she does

her purpose will find her

and she’ll give it a GO

give it all she’s got

and then some

and i’ll be as i’ve always been

amazed

and grateful

so grateful

for the gift

the wonderful gift

that is her

TL

Relationships

Relationships

like is

a connection

but

love is

beyond connection

… it is essential

to the soul …

one can like someone

but not love them

or one can love someone

but not like them

… so

to like and to love

someone

is the ultimate lift

across time and space

and eternity …

it requires all of joy

and all of sorrow

rolling forth together

in continuous waves

like that

of the ocean

infinite and free

and beyond measure

… it is a letting go …

so it can come back

…

but maybe

the relationship

with one’s self

is the most healing one

of all …

to like and to love

yourself

is like holding

a master key

that opens

every door

until you reach

the One

that needs no key

…

for it is already

open …

and you just walk on

through

or roll or crawl

or get carried

TL