Showing posts with label mummy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mummy. Show all posts

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Dear Baby Miller


Dear Baby Miller,

Hey Cheeky!! I’ve toyed with in-vitro names for you such as “Buddy,” “Munchkin,” “Lil’ Mill,’” “Poopsie”… But given your penchant for kicking incessantly, constantly resting on my bladder and your crazy timing into our lives, I think “Cheeky” is the best name for you!!

Madea, your maternal grandmother (who despises being called a “grandmother”), had a special nickname for us. In the early days of our marriage, she called us “Posh & Becks” in homage to our celebrity status and behaviour. You will be pleased to know however that we are not following in their footsteps in regards to naming you after the place you were conceived: It’s bad enough that Birmingham will be on your birth certificate as place of birth. Mummy hopes that doesn’t cause too much prejudice in your later life.

This is one of mummy’s randomly favourite pictures of us together:

Date Night at the German Market


That’s your daddy, looking like an Abercrombie model advertising a BBQ. One day mummy will show you pictures of what daddy looked like at university and you’ll realise that mummy is a miracle worker, able to see potential behind a mass of ginger curls and baggy clothes. It will also explain to you why it takes so long for the family to get dressed up to go out.

And that’s me, your mummy, the one with the eclectic fashion sense (part hobo-part style icon) and the tendency to consistently bite off more than she can chew. I expect your extra-curricular activities and holiday schedule will reflect that same ethos.

Now, for that rare brief two-minute period of the day where mummy is serious and doesn’t make an inappropriate joke, this photo tells you three things about your new life:

1. There will be adventure.
Whether to this German Market, theme park, Texas, a canal, or even to the shops; there will always be a crazy story, a fun time and an experience that seems so outrageous, your friends will think you’ve made up.

2. We bring light.
We desire to shine brightly, stand strong, be different and draw people to examine their lives in its intended fullness with Father God, out of the darkness.

3. You will need to exercise lots as we LOVE food.
A lot.
But hopefully you’ll be annoying just like us and have an incredible fast metabolism so you can eat whatever you want and stay thin.

See, I told you I can’t go more than two minutes.

Cheeky, you are loved more than you know.
(Regardless of the screams of agony you have heard from me during morning sickness, muscle pain, PGP, potential pee-pee infection, costochondritis, and blood tests mummy has had to endure to keep you established and comfortable in your Hilton-esque abode.)

We can’t wait to meet you.
(and see who wins the bets re: the ginger afro)

And though the house is a mess and we’re a little nervous, we are so very ready and so excited for your arrival. On September 13th. Just in case you were unsure of the date.

Love,

Daddy & Mummy
The ones that keep poking you and shouting loudly when you sleep.
xxx

Ps. If you can sleep through the night from the first week, we’ll buy you a car for your 18th birthday.


Sunday, June 19, 2011

Fragile

You hate to be the “fun sucker”
The one who sits on the other side of the fence head in hands
Sulky face
While others run circus style
With joy and laughter
And hope
And point at you wondering why you
Insist on being so dull
Not joining the party

But you sulk and whine
Attempting to disguise
Sadness at the fact
The tear-stained cheeks
At the party’s strict guest list
And you’re can’t possibly be on it

Because you don’t have a dad.

In family portrait where biological father should be
Stands shadow of a man
I do not know
Cannot know
Will never know
Would not delight to know

For what would a coward of a man
Defiantly and flippantly
turning back on responsibility
Possible have
To offer me

I am not his daughter.

Mother does what mother should
Arms wide, full of love
Shopping trips with bargains
Late night gossips over hot chocolate
At home relaxer mishaps and remedies on scarred skin
Cooks well enough to feed both stomach
And heart

But mother cannot do what father should
For that is not her role
That is not her portion
That is not her blame

For she held the bike as I nervously stumbled
Traipsed to parent teacher meetings alone
Taught half-naked toddler to read and write

And took my arm and gave it away
Entrusting into arms of a man she deemed fit enough

 A man who wouldn’t leave me behind.

You see,
The fatherless heart is a precious thing
Broken so early on
Barely even functional
Stone walls surround
Yet bribes are taken
For despite how much I know I can’t trust
And don’t want to be vulnerable
A smile and promise can lead you in

But cement lines show
New layers added
As promises are proven to be empty
I am blessed for in the gap
So many have stepped into
Willing to take the place where one wouldn’t go


For years or for seasons
They have shaped me
And weaved me
Mended me
Resuscitated me
Blank field on birth certificate proves a painful reminder
But I choose
To twist it around
Words of a teacher
Etched in my heart:

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

For I am a joy
A princess
A jewel
Worthy of so many crowns
A fighter back in the ring

For “fatherless” will not be my definition
Not my crutch
Nor my excuse
For phoenix rises from ashes

Of statistics and stereotypes
To prove I am more than enough

And though earthly situations
Led to spiritual deformations
And I struggled to trust
In a Father who cared
Who would stick around long-term
Fulfilling his word

Oh Father God you have shown yourself strong.

My past has shaped,
But it will not dictate.

So today, will you not
Dry the tear
And be around 
And sit and support
The ones just like me.

For we are a fragile kind,
In need of a unshakeable Father.


------ 

Happy Father's Day
Father's, Step-dad's, Adoptive Fathers, Papa's, Grandpa's, Pops', G-Pa's, Uncle's, Foster dad's, Cousin's, Mentors, big brother's, men of the community....never forget what a difference you make in the life of a child, just by simply being there...

...without you, they would be fatherless