Dear body,
You are a marvel.
You have carried me through every single moment until now,
Never once asking for anything in return.
Allow me to bow down in reverence for your loving support in my creation.
Hands,
Thank you for taking to the bark of a pine tree for climbing during childhood like second nature.
Sappy,
Happy hands.
Thank you for letting me cut and paste,
Color and draw,
And ignite my imagination with light bright and Lincoln Logs.
Hands that held me steady on my first two-wheeler,
Streamers sailing in the wind,
And often broke my falls while cruising on roller skates.
A few years later,
You nervously gripped the wheel of a 1968 Mustang at the DMV during my driving test.
Thanks for helping me pass.
At 28 years old,
These hands cradled newborn twins,
Often wishing for another pair of hands to help feed,
Change,
And rock these two to sleep.
Hands,
Fantastic job helping me keep those babies alive.
Thank you to my shoulders that have remained solid and sturdy over the years.
Shoulders that carried my backpack,
Holding my trapper keeper in place without squashing my brown bag lunch Foxy packed me each and every day.
My 16-year-old shoulders proved to be an advantage of strength to my high school basketball team as I used them to block out and rebound.
By the age of 38,
My shoulders seemed to have developed grooves in them as if they were a rock-climbing wall.
The steadfast handhold for five little ones,
Wielded from mama's hips.
Shoulders that even now adore to be showered with warm sunlight and turn brown almost immediately.
Shoulders,
Thank you for your unceasing support.
Thank you to my feet,
Always carrying me from one part of my journey to the next without complaint.
My feet lovingly smooched on by my mama as a babe.
These feet that carried me swiftly up and down the soccer field and earned me the nickname of Boomer because you allowed me to boot the ball from one end of the field to the other.
These same feet nervously stood landlocked on the porch of my childhood home while receiving my first kiss,
Not touching the ground for a solid hour afterwards.
Feet,
Thank you for allowing me to fly that day.
Thank you to my heart,
A heart that came to this space to love big and administer joy.
A heart that lights up when she makes others laugh and allows divinity to wash over her like a shower of golden warm honey.
This heart has helped me ask difficult questions,
To be open to learning,
And to trust myself to do the next right thing.
Heart,
Thank you for being my compass.
Body,
Please accept my gratitude for ushering me on this journey.
Please accept my apology if I treated you less than the miracle you are.
And please join me in the dance as we continue on together for as long as God will allow.
Love,
Me.
