Love

First of all, I know that several of you have had sick babes lately.  Here’s wishing great health and happiness to Carter, Tucker, Flint, and Reagan!

I am currently reading the chapter entitled “The Chemistry of Love” in The Science of Parenting:  How Today’s Brain Research Can Help You Raise Happy, Emotionally Balanced Children by Margot Sunderland.   This is so interesting!  Here’s a quote:  “Love brings exquisite symphonic cascades of chemicals in our brain.  These symphonies can make us feel warm, expansive, creative, potent, and deeply content.  When we love deeply, we are also intensely alive.  The reverse is also true.  If we cannot fully love, we cannot fully live.” 

I invite you to choose some of the most powerful words (for you) from this quote.  Expand on that list with words of your own, repeat your favorites, arrange them in different ways on a page to generate a poem about parenting that pleases you.  If you want to submit yours, I’d love to share it for you (with or without your name – your choice). 

I really enjoy seeing how much many of you are savoring your parenting experiences!  It both takes me back and gives me great optimism for the future.  Your children are well-loved.  Here is a poem that I think will resonate with you.  It is by a poet from The Phillippines, Benilda S. Santos. It has been translated by Ramon C. Sunico and I found it in a collection called, This Same Sky:  A Collection of Poems from Around the World.   The poems were selected by Naomi Shihab Nye.  If you haven’t seen her on YouTube, you’ll want to do it.  She certainly shares your tender parenting feelings! 

 

Atong

 

I left Atong by the schoolyard

fence –

where he waved and waved

saying Bye bye Bye bye Bye bye.

 

I still don’t know what it was

that filled his face with light that day –

it was for me

a shower of white flowers

when he smiled

and then a flight of sparrows

when he smiled again

 

and when I turned to leave

I could not understand why I, his mother, was

like a fool, so overcome with joy.

 

Benilda S. Santos

Translated by Ramon C. Sunico