A Soft Place to Fall
by Genia Stemper
Published by Genia Stemper at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 Genia Stemper
Discover other titles by Genia Stemper at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/geniastemper
When we go for a walk and get caught in the rain, I will bring you home, dry you off and warm you up.
Then I will help you get your rain gear on so you can go back outside and splash in the puddles.
And when you forget to study for your spelling test, fall and scrape your knee, and your best friend sits with someone else at lunch time, all in the same day, I’ll hold you in my arms for as long as it takes.
Then I’ll give you a kiss, and we’ll put on our pajamas and take your favorite books to bed early, because tomorrow will definitely be a better day.
And when we bake a cake, just because, and put salt in it instead of sugar, we’ll laugh and start all over.
Because making two cakes together is always better than making just one.
And when someone at school says something mean and untrue and you come home in tears, I’ll remind you who you are.
“What if they said you had green teeth?” I’ll ask you. “Would that make you sad?”
“No,” you’ll laugh, “because it isn’t true.”
“Exactly,” I’ll say.
And when you have a problem that you don’t know your way around, you can tell me about it, and I will listen.
And we will sit together at the kitchen table where it is safe and we can talk about anything.
And when we are quiet, you will be able to hear your own inner voice, and you will know exactly what you need to do.
And when your own stomach feels sick inside because you have hurt someone else, by saying or doing the wrong thing, I will remind you that no one is perfect, that there is always room for improvement, and that an apology can go a very long way.
And when you feel sad and angry and nothing seems fair, we’ll go to our spot in the woods, and we’ll sit quietly until the butterflies float by and the birds chirp brightly, and you will remember that there is still magic in this world.
And then, one day all too soon, you will be grown.
You will meet someone special and have children of your own.
And they will need a soft place to fall.
And you will know just what to do.
Because you will love them, just as I will always love you.
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