the life of gift

thank you
mom
for a wonderful seven days

such beauty
and strength
reside inside of you
you'd never even know

and the truth shared between us
unimaginable
to who i am today
like a dream
that the teenaged version of me
could never have even
started
to wish for

time spent with you
is a magic all its own
like the pouring of a glass of cold water
from one pair of hands to the next
it fits both ways
is enjoyed by either
and is often understood
without the use of words

simple shared awareness
exists in us
simple shared connectedness
touched by
the ever-presence of
new awareness
too

i never fear the truth when i'm with you
love truth
friend truth
life truth
fear truth

it's all in me
and all in you

like maybe
we're in this together
somehow
despite our many miles apart

i sure
wish dad could have been here on this trip
like we said
he certainly always brings
his own special energy

but we did pretty darn good on our own

so, i just wanted to thank you again
for every sacrifice that you've made
and for every inch wider that you've opened your mind
trying against all odds to comprehend this life i lead

thank you
for our week together
i needed it in ways you already know
and in ways
unknown even to myself

the older i get
the more the knowledge arrives
that
when life
seems to slip out from under your feet
family
is often
not only the one net
always there to catch you
but
family
is often the only net
strong enough to hold you
too