Freeze.

 

Freeze.

Stop this whirlwind of giggles and butterfly kisses.

Give me a moment to memorize that crooked smile.

 

Let me never forget the simple pleasure of bubbles.

And sand.

As I watch the delicate beads slip through your fingers,

I want you to remember that happiness is fleeting

But is found in such simple places.

 

Appreciate the power of a good band aid,

And the relief it can bring to any situation.

 

When heartbreak eventually finds you,

I want to take you back to the joy of yelling.

To the time you found how loud your voice could resonate

In a small, plastic cup.

 

When disappointment crawls on your skin,

I wish you could brush it off

Like the tiny ants you found in the dirt.

 

I hope you never stop asking why.

I want you to forever question the status quo.

To believe that what is can be changed by understanding.

 

Embrace seeing no empty boxes,

Only curriers to different places, space to house dreams.

May you always see the beauty in others, as you do now.

 

Sing.

 

Sing loudly, wildly, even when no one is listening.

Carry your chalk with you, always.

Don’t be confined by what something “should” look like.

 

Color outside the lines.

 

Create your own.

 

Never lose your ability to see things for more then they appear.

A leaf as a boat and a spoon as a wand,

Are jarring to the black and white images seen by many.

 

Listen.

Your reverence to stories is wicked,

As is your enjoyment to telling them.

 

Create.

Necklace soup is the best I’ve had.

Toast warmed in your shirt has a flavor unlike any other.

 

Laugh.

See the humor in breakfasts, in car rides.

In trips to grocery store.

In waiting room chairs.

 

Give freely, as you do now.

Never stop offering your crackers and your half-eaten cheese.

Seemingly minute kindnesses are important.

 

My wish for you, little child,

Is to live.

To never take for granted the opportunity you are given.

Be it a blank sheet of paper or the company of a friend.

 

Remember the joy you now find in small things,

Because it is those small things that culminate into a day.

Into a week.

Into a year.

 

Go freely and passionately into the world.

Don’t look back on those you’ve left behind

But remember the lessons that they have taught you.

And always know, though distance may be great

I’ll be here with band aids.