Little Rainbows

The little rainbows softly came
Through a dreamy night
Where colors were dancing
In harmonious delight
I blew small kisses
Feeling happy and gay
Big dreams were coming
I was sure they would be fine
I didn’t know the heartbreak
Could come after a rainbow
The rainbow colors didn’t fade
Where did the rainbows hide?
I shed the tears to cry

When the rainbows said goodbye

But I know deep in my heart

Rainbows will never die

Collage 60

April marks the beginning
Of our new journey together
A new phase of life
Welcomes us as one
I am as excited
As you probably are
How lucky we are
To have one another
We are embraced
In a circle of love
I marvel
At my blessings
I shall stop
And smell the roses

Springtime Goodbye

I left you in the springtime
When pear trees with blossoms white
Enhanced the beauty of McLearen Rd
‘Round the corner of my old home
I will surely miss you
In you I hold memories
Of events recent and distant past
Of children growing
Through the four seasons of each year
Through the milestones of their lives
I now mark a milestone of mine
Embarking on a new chapter of life
Springtime is when I’ll remember you

Along with winter, summer, and fall

Watching children grow

 As recorded 11/25/91 and 8/3/1992       

Thal discovered that he could open an ajar door and close it back the same way. He had a grin on his face showing the pleasure of discovery. He spent a few minutes opening and closing the door until it was shut tight.

Liên dedicated a book about herself to her mother.

Lan kept reminding me of what a wonderful mother I am.

*****

Today was a good day. We refinanced. Tom bought a pair of pants to go with his wedding coat, and a leather coat for his wife for Christmas. We went to L&N to celebrate. Tom got there first. He had balloons on the children’s chairs. How special. I was touched.

Thal is such a sweetheart about going to bed. He usually falls asleep on his own. I sang the cradle song and I think he sang along. He adores me. He walked in his room and he got up crying. So we spent some time together on my bed until I put him back in his crib still awake. He never made a sound.

Lan is practicing violin with her father. She is musically talented. I hope she’ll carry the gift with her all her life.

*****

Almost a year since I last wrote. Bad. I’ve been enjoying watching Thal grow up. He’s such a darling now, especially when he wears no-sleeve T-shirts. He likes necklaces or anything that goes around his neck. He still claims Mommy. He can say “no,” “bye bye,” “Hi Cu,” “ball,” “shoes,” “lỗ rốn,” “mũi,” “more.” He claps his hands together when we say grace. He can play with a ball well. He lets me know when he’s mad at me by refusing to come.

Love is Eternal

The pain is fresh
As though it were yesterday
When you said goodbye
And told me I’d see you no more
It was not your choice
But did you hold regrets
As for me
There are unfulfilled dreams and plans
My longing for a physical touch
Or the sound of your voice
Will you come and warm my soul
I yearn for you and miss you so
I feel much blessed to have known you
My life was enriched because of you
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you
Since the time
You sat at my bedside
And reminded me
That love is eternal
A transcendence of space and time

Collage# 59

It was too warm for the snow to come
Whitetail was shut down no skis were allowed
It was too wet to hike dirt trails
In Shenandoah Mountain the land of beauty
So on Reston paths we ventured forth
To the place where Mama lived in her youth
It was much fun to see the deer
Come out to play though the sun was away
Milli and I skipped on the rocks
At the pond where a dragonfly was spotted by me
Bà reminded us of the slippery ground
But we had tons of fun and were surefooted
We walked some more to the old beaver pond
That had dried up since Mama saw it last
Milli and I helped take pictures
To keep memories of our time together
My legs got tired on the way back
Our car was a million of miles away
Milli got a break on Dada’s shoulders
But I am a big boy and had to use my feet
I thought that was so unfair but Bà cheered me on
I shared with Bà my woes and sorrows
She coached me on how to melt Mama’s heart
The way Milli does to stay away from troubles
Bà seemed happy though the walk was long
When I thought that it would never end
Bà said that is alright
Because we are all together
We have each other
On a New Year Day
Taking an endless walk through the woods
And isn’t that grand
When later we were warm and cozy at home
Eating the delicious shrimp etouffée Dada made
I had to agree
It was one of the best New Year Days
Ever!

Peace on Earth Goodwill to All

This is a story about an eleven-year-old swimmer at a swim meet, written by his dad - as he recounted the story to the swimmer’s grandparents. It touched my heart as I re-read this many years later.

Merry Christmas to all.

 

This is a little story about Thal at a swim meet. It provides no grist for any family letter, and there are no first-places, no four-ohs, no awards, nothing. As a matter of fact, I saw the whole thing and didn’t even recognize that I’d seen anything special. The starter, Dan M., a man whom I respect a great deal, had to point out what I’d seen, and he did so much later. I’ll tell you what happened first, and then I’ll tell you what Dan told me later. Dan, as starter, is more focused on the lanes and the meet than I am.

Thal is eleven, and this was a small meet so there was only one heat for the eleven/twelve-year-old-boys’ breaststroke and freestyle. In both events, Paul swam next to Thal.

Paul is severely autistic. Paul can swim, but he really seems to have no idea what is going on; his breaststroke and freestyle are pretty much the same. When Paul swims, his older sister jumps in and screams encouragement to him for the entire fifty yards. “Come on Paulie, come on, touch the wall Paulie.” You can hear Sara shouting for the entire race, and because Paul is laughing, clowning, and just having a good time, Paul’s “time” is usually 4 to 5 times as long as that of kids that Thal.

Thal did a simple thing. When a kid finishes a race, he is supposed to exit the pool immediately. Thal hung around, not saying a thing, until Paul finished, and then shook Paul’s hand. This is a custom that is quite common among the more competitive swimmers. Thal quietly extended his hand, Paul took it, still clowning around, and then Thal exited the pool.

That’s all that happened. I watched it unfold and yet thought nothing of it. It was over. The eleven/twelve-year-old girls were lining up, and the meet was going on.

But later that day, Dan pointed out to me that Thal showed maturity and understanding of a situation that was far beyond what most adults are up to. And he knew what to do. I sincerely thanked Dan and walked away.

Then I started thinking about Thal, and suddenly I found myself incredibly proud of this little kid. He has such a grasp of what is truly important – people, their dignity, and their respect.

Perhaps I make too much of this, but it struck me that I’m afraid that I would have simply exited the pool and chatted with my friends. I really don’t know how many people noticed Thal’s gesture. I didn’t, but I’m glad Dan did. Later that day, Thal talked about the race and gushed that he’d dropped some time in both freestyle and breaststroke. I told him that that was great, but as I looked at this brown-eyed kid with a killer smile, I thought to myself, “You have no idea how much prouder I am of you for you simply being you.”