To my kids
I can’t change your past with all it’s heartache and pain,
Nor the future with it’s untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.
I can’t keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that my grasp it
And not fall.
Your joy’s, triumphs, success ,and happiness
Are not mine ; yet I can share in your laughter.
Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor judge;
I can only support you , encourage you and help you
You ask.
I can’t prevent you from falling away from friendship,
from your values, from me. I can only wish for you,
talk to you, and wait for you.
I can’t give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
but give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be
Yourself.
I can’t keep your heart from breaking and hurting, but
I can cry with you and pick up the pieces and put them
Back in to place.
I can’t tell you who you are. I can only love and love you
And to be a friend and a mother.
