Gratituesday & Thankful Thursday ~ On Loan

On Loan

I’m grateful for the muddy footprint path on the floor, 
The sticky handprints on the just-washed glass, too,
The clothes, strewn and spilling out a dresser drawer,
And dirt spots on the lawn where once plush grass grew.

I’m blessed with laughter disrupting my quiet time,
With  ”read to me mama” and “wanna play a game”?
Or a sweet little voice singing a nursery rhyme
In the off-key drama of  a classic refrain

I’m grateful for the fights over whose turn by the door,
Or who gets to choose which game is played today
And the battle raging within their civil war
As what was fought for is soon dismissed in play

I’m grateful for a sleeping child with a curl on her brow
I watch with wonder as the child becomes a woman somehow
I cherish every memory, every moment that is here and now
As I come to realize they’re not my own, but from God on loan

Knowing they’ll forever remain the children I’ve known
I’ll savor these days with the dirt and the messes galore
When all’s left is a return by car, letter, or phone,
I’ll recall these memories and enjoy them all the more.
~Auntie Q

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