Growing up

I'll make mistakes

you'll make mistakes, too

I'll watch you grow

you'll see me get old

I'll hold your hand

you'll hold mine

I'll teach you

you'll teach me, too

~

There will be first steps

along with first words

Milestones will pass

one after another

We'll go through our days

every day together

I'll be with you

you'll be with me

It won't always be perfect

it won't always be easy

But I promise when you look

I'll always be by your side

Every season, every year

every birthday, every graduation

I'll always be there

To guide you along

~

This world can be

a crazy place

It can make you see

things upside down

Some days can feel

like too much

Some days can knock

you all the way down

But, don't worry

I'll always be there

To help you up

when you fall

~

Until a day

comes along when

You won't need

my help anymore

Because, you'll stand

all on your own

When you do

when a new journey

Apart from this one

we've shared, begins

I still be with you

your whole life

It will always be me

it will always be you

Forever and a day

a parent's love

Never goes away

never in a million years

You will always be

my greatest gift

My child

~

~

Authors Note:

This challenge asked us to write about the mundane, the ordinary, a toaster that browns our favorite bread. And as I thought about an ode to the ordinary, the given, the mundane. My thoughts kept returning to the most ordinary thing in my life. The thing that besides coffee is there to greet me in morning. The one consistent thing that is on my mind throughout the long workday and still there when I lay my head down at night, my love for my kids.

The more I thought about it the more I realized that being a parent, that being on call 24 hours a day does at times become routine, mundane. And as hard as it is to believe, sometimes in the dredge of day after day even the most important things can go unnoticed. But no matter how mundane parenting or life for that matter, can get a moment always comes along that grabs me by the shoulders, shakes me, and reminds me those little rug rats are the best thing that ever happened to me.

Moments where they fail, moments where they achieve. Moments where their tears and their smiles break and fill my heart. Moments where I share their hopes and dreams. Moments where I get up early, stay up late, give rides, coach, cheer, volunteer, inspire, support, discipline, guide, teach, and love all in hopes of giving them the very best.

It could be I'm all alone in thinking that parenting can be ordinary, mundane. It could be that reading this you’re thinking I'm crazy. You could be at this moment saying to yourself, he's nuts. And I don't know, maybe I am. To be completely transparent, I don't even know if the scribbles I've left above these five paragraphs can be called an ode. But I do know that watching my kids grow has been the greatest journey of my life. I could never imagine, me without them.

People often ask what you would change in your life if you could. My answer is always nothing. Because if I changed my past, if I went back knowing what I know now and did things better I'd have a different future with different kids or no kids at all. Knowing that, I can honestly tell you that beyond all others one eternal truth resides within the flame of my heart. That truth, that burning flame is that I wouldn't want any future without the very same exact kids I have now. Every heartache, every misstep I've had along the way in my life have all been beautiful and perfect because they all led me to Alex, Reagan, Samantha, and Addilynn even if being their parent has been at times ordinary and even mundane.

P.S.

If you're wondering my kids are listed in order of their ages, 21, 17, 14, and 6. And yes, our last one, our little Addi, who is standing in the picture above on the shores of Virginia Beach back on a vacation we took when she was four, was the very best surprise we ever got.