This poem made me cry~!~ by Grafted Branch.


Small Things

My darlings...

When you are grown
And doing big things,
Who will you be?
Where is this path to take you?

Will you be a frugal homemaker
That blesses her husband
With a lovely space to call home?
A place of calm and care, respect and regard
That he can't wait to come home to each night.

Will you educate your children at home,
Teaching them first to seek Christ's righteousness,
Trusting Him to then provide for your every need?
Helping your children see past themselves--
To be like Christ--
To look toward serving the needs of others.

Will you be an author
Who weaves her words to bring beauty
Or wisdom
Or companionship to her readers?

Will you be a musician
Bringing the most beautiful language of all
To large crowds or small congregations?
Will you invite youngsters into your home
And pass on your skill and knowledge as have
Musicians for thousands of years before you?

Will you design buildings
With wonderful rooms and stairs and drawbridges
As you do with your brissle blocks
And Lincoln Logs?

Will you offer your members an instrument of the Lord
For the healing of the sick?
Will you be the soul on the other side
Of the call button?
The one that comes running
To offer care, concern or comfort.

When you are grown and gone
And busy being the wife,
The mother,
The educator,
The writer,
The musician,
The mentor
The architect,
Or the nurse,

You won't remember
The hard work you're doing today.

It's the hard work of learning your letters,
And the patience you practice in writing your numbers.
You won't remember how long it took you to
Recognize the difference between "d" and "b" and "p,"
And you won't have any recollection of
How many times you sounded out "that" and "and."

You won't remember a time
When you didn't know
How to decipher the code of the musical staff.
You won't recall flashcards and drills and
"Naming the notes."

You won't remember feeding the dog.
Or cleaning the dishes.
You won't know what I'm talking about
When I reminisce about the months and years
It took to develop your habits of discipline.

And you'll wonder who I'm speaking of
When I amuse myself with the memory
Of your "little brain" and
How you tried so hard to make it grow fast
As you tried so hard to remember to pick up your toys.

I hope you won't remember how many thousands of times
I told you to take your thumb out of your mouth.

You won't remember your intricate block buildings.
You won't remember counting black beans
Or naming the Math-U-See rods...
One pea
Two carrots
Three little pigs
Four bananas
Five glasses of water
Six plums
Sevenilla
ChocoEight
Nine scoops of mint-chocolate chip ice cream

You won't remember copywork.
You won't remember making your first salt-dough map.
You won't remember when you first knew
That "ph" says "ffff," and that "tion," says "shun."

When you are grown and gone and doing big things,
You won't remember how hard you worked for every. little. step. here and now.

But I'll remember for you. I promise.


Posted by Grafted Branch @ Restoring the Years