A work colleague is nearing delivery of her second child. With a daughter in college, her “second time around” at motherhood will be a new and different experience, I suspect. I came across this sweet poem in a book by June Cotner, Baby Blessings: Inspiring Poems and Prayers for Every stage of Babyhood, which is filled with wonderful sentiments.
You-and-I
by Lynn Schmeidler
Your spirit encircles me in ever closer rings,
tapping at my heart until I know
I am overtaken.
I plant a protective hand on my belly in a crowd.
Your father’s lips hover over my waist wishing you
good-night.
You sleep when I walk, awaken when I eat.
Your world of muted light and muffled sound,
ruled by its
own internal clock.
A baby dolphin, you kick out laps in your warm,
salty sea.
Barefoot, I dance upon the rug with you my
silent partner.
Your father blows brilliant bubbles around us.
Iridescent orbs gloat from the wand and pop.
Soon, you-and-I will be
You
and
I
Comments 1
What a beautiful message. I am so touched. I confess, this post is about me and Sarah has been a wonderful friend as I embark on this new journey… she gets it! My life was coasting along in parental bliss with the amazing daughter I could have ever dreamed of and my struggle was only what to do with all my time now that she had flown the nest for college. I didn’t expect to have children again (or to marry the man of my dreaams and move to New York) but the most amazing love bloomed out of nowhere and changed everything. How “old” is “too old” to have another child is something that weighed on me. For all of five minutes. At 39 weeks on Wednesday, my pregnancy this time around has been filled with signifantly more fatigue, aches and pains that come as expected with my “higher risk” status and age 20-year time out. Now, I am just days away from “you-and-I” becoming “you and I” as we welcome our precious new daughter into the world. How many people have a chance to live two lifetimes of motherhood in one? I am very blessed.