A tribute to my daughter Emma, on the occasion of her fifth birthday.
June 20th, 2009.
There is something in the way your eyes dance that makes my heart ache. Sometimes with love. Sometimes with envy. Everything in you is bubbly and alive. You bounce. You gleam. You spin. Words are nothing but an underline to the action adventure story that is your life, and what little dialogue you engage in is brief and fleeting.
Always it seems, you are running.
New worlds and stories unfold before you with every blink of the eye. A quick leap from here to there again and you are dancing on mountaintops, wading through crocodile infested swamps, swooning in your castle tower, captaining your very own pirate ship. There are no limits to you and I watch you burst forth in a torrent of could have beens and would bes. Everything is possible.
At times, I feel the weight of years more heavily as I watch you. I am bound in ways you are not. Bound by the long habit of disbelief. As I continue to watch I realize how flimsy are the bonds with which I am bound. Yearning blooms within me and suddenly I remember what it is to know that I can fly. You teach me this. You remind me of all that I have ever known and forgotten.
They tell me I am to teach you. How to behave. How to learn. How to live. After five years of such attempts I am minded to surrender. To give myself up to your form of learning. For the teachings of adulthood have not made me so very happy. It is in you, through you and by you, that I have recaptured those long escaped feelings of joy and wonder.
Will you teach me, my darling Emma? Is there patience enough in you for such a task? I think I could indeed fly, with you ever there to remind me.
Happy Birthday, sweetheart. May it multiply the joy which you so freely share with us all.
Emma will be five?!? Holy cow! Happy Birthday, little lamb!
Luisa Perkins´s last blog post..The Quids and Quos of Blogging
That was beautiful! Happy Birthday Emma!!!!
Julie Wright´s last blog post..CONduit
LOVELY post!!!
Happy Birthday, Emma!
Heather of the EO´s last blog post..Give me a C!
That’s sweet. If only children knew how precious they are.
~sniffle~ I remember when she was born. . .
Eowyn´s last blog post..Another dose of what’s on my mind
I think hands down my favourite of your posts . . . poignantly written . . . give that darling little girl a big hug from her Auntie Kate . . . :)
Kate´s last blog post..Letters
One of the happiest feelings is looking at life through a kid’s eyes, when every thing is exciting. That’s why I love having mine.
Melanie J´s last blog post..Lucky 7
They do grow so fast . . . and teach us so much!
Annette´s last blog post..WNW: The Ellis Island Myth
Lovely ode! She will cherish it forever. Happy birthday to her!
Summer´s last blog post..Sassypants
That is a lovely tribute. I hope you print it out and keep a copy for her to have when she is older.
Heffalump´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
Kym that literally gave me the chills it was so beautiful. Happy Birthday Beautiful Emma!
Jaina´s last blog post..Already in Love
That was so beautiful I can see you chasing around with her. Happy Birthday dear sweet Emma from two little girls across the pond, and their Mummy. And thank you for making your Mummy fly. Flying is good. x
Jo Beaufoix´s last blog post..Night night sleep tight
Hi there – just popped over from Jo’s site – what a gorgeous post – really beuatiful – and I totally identify with it because I too have a daughter who will be 5 in two months time. She makes me feel all those things you feel too. Eloquently written x
Maternal Tales´s last blog post..I have poo on the brain…or is that the tongue…?
Five. That beautiful girl is five. Oh please tell her that I said happy birthday, and that I hope she has a wonderful day. And then give her a hug and remember that you are the one who gets to hear her call you mama – on days when she plays nicely and helps, and on those days when she sprinkles baking soda all over your frig. =)
Inkling´s last blog post..When The News Feels Real And Close
Could you be my mom and write me beautiful things like that on my birthday?
Happy Birthday, Emma! I think the best gift God could have given you was your wonderful, loving mommy.
L.T. Elliot´s last blog post..I’m brain-dead…I think
Beautifully written. Happy birthday, Emma!! It’s birthday time at our house this weekend, too. I think it’s appropriate to celebrate birthdays of sunny, happy people as we mark the official beginning of summer. :-)
Aaww… happy birthday, Emma.
VirtualSprite´s last blog post..just yesterday
Awwww, what a gorgeous post.
Happy 5th birthday, you darling little girl!
Brillig´s last blog post..Google me this, Google me that
Beautiful – your comment that learning the things of the adult world doesn’t make us happier reminds me of that movie “Harvey” with Jimmy Stewart. It’s a precious thing to allow a child to be a child. I think “oh, grow up” are among the most unkind (and impractical) words a parent can say.
Becca´s last blog post..Tough Guy
Beautiful … positively beautiful! The ode you wrote for her sounds so much like one I could write for my four year old. Although, you did it much more eloquently than I ever could. You captured it perfectly when you said, “They tell me I am to teach you. How to behave. How to learn. How to live. After five years of such attempts I am minded to surrender. To give myself up to your form of learning.”
Happy Birthday, Emma … and happy birthing day to you, Kim :) !!
An Ordinary Mom´s last blog post..And She Scores …
So so sweet. I love looking through a younger child’s eyes, but once they become angst-ridden it might be a bit scary.
Happy birthday to your Emma.
Kazzy´s last blog post..my tech love
Gorgeous post. Wonderful insights. I wish I had something like this from my mother.
Happy birthday, Emma. I hope you love hearing from all these folks who adore your mum. We love hearing about you too. How beautiful you are, how you make your mum laugh, how you love to dance, what wonderful playtimes you create with your little sister. You make your mum very, very happy. And that makes us happy too.
Smooches!
charrette´s last blog post..Fathers: Shaping Life and Death
Wow, I can’t believe that Emma is 5. This is a great post and something that she’ll treasure as she grows.
I hope you have a very Happy day ‘Emma.
What a fantastic post! I hope it was a wonderful day for you all!!!
Melissa´s last blog post..
i so admire the clarity with which you see your children. happy birthday, sweet emma!
nic´s last blog post..on father’s day.
The gift of a child, isn’t it? And the joy of being a parent and getting to witness it all. Nobody says it better than you do. Happy Birthday to little Emma!
Sorry, Kim! That was me! I forgot to fill in the blanks!
Jenna Consolo´s last blog post..Oh, What a Night!
Love this–LOVE it! Everything in my heart. Thank you!
~Shaye
Shaye´s last blog post..A Series of Firsts
An awesome post! Happy Birthday to your daughter :)
Chapati´s last blog post..Procrastination explained in pictures…
Hi, I’m over from authorblog. Beautiful post. Happy Birthday to your daughter! And congrats on the Post of the Day mention!
lovely tribute to your little one. having two little boys (4 + 6) i can relate. the untamed curiousity and energy contained in their gazes. congrats on the POTD mention. oh and happy birthday!
brian miller´s last blog post..Between the Smiles