Most of all I just hope they're happy. It's this hope that reminds me of a poem I used to read a lot when I was younger. It's a poem about growing up and reminiscing on the time of childhood and how that time is so carefree and innocent.
So for my mother's day this year, instead of being pampered or taking the day off, I decided to use my time to make a few more memories for them.
"Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas
Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.
And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace,
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
Monday...finished science project about crystals, rode bikes, had barefoot races down the sidewalk, played video games for 30 minutes, had soccer practice, and had pizza for dinner. When at the dinner table, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. They responded with video games.
Tuesday...went to last full day of school, had lots of fun on the swing set, went to the playground at the mall, set up a tent and sleeping bags in the gameroom and "camped out" there that night, watched tv for an hour. When at the dinner table, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. They responded with watching tv.
Wednesday...woke up and played with Aunt Amy, had lunch at Panera Bread with Aunt Amy, took Aunt Amy to Simply Cinco where Liam and his classmates' art is being displayed, ate a cookie cake, played on swing set, played video games for an hour, took Aunt Amy to the airport and saw several big planes taking off, landing and taxiing. When at the dinner table, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. They responded with playing video games.
But then they added, "Well, we actually like all parts of all days." So maybe, just maybe something is sinking in!
