Friday, June 18, 2021

Father's Day --Like Joshua Reach Up and Stop the Sun


                                                               photo by Kathy Davis / flikr


Father’s Day. 

Memories swirl. 

Not buying stuff..not even tossing a ball

   or writing a check. 

But more.

I don’t remember how old she must’ve been. 

Maybe six or eight or ten.

But my red-headed daughter crawled up

   into my lap. 

She pushed aside the newspaper I was reading.

Then she took both her hands

   placed them on my cheeks

and turned my head toward her.

“ Look at me, Daddy. Look at me.” 

Isn’t this what all children want.

But isn’t this what we all want.

To be taken seriously. 

With no distractions.

No stuff. 

No Newspapers.

No TV. 

No cell phones.

No iPads. 

No figuring up the check book

But: “Look at me Daddy

 Look at me."

It’s really is all that they really want.

To give them ourselves

Like Joshua to reach up and stop that big yellow ball—

   For just one holy moment. 

To look at her. To care…,to let her know

    above all else she at that moment

    Is the most important thing in the world.

It’s what they want. 

To look and care and 

   laugh and hug.

Look at her. Those moments  pass—

   she grows up. Moves away.

But she will always know

  he looked at her and it mattered.

              --Roger Lovette


                                                     photo by Andrey Zhukof / flikr



                                                    --Roger Lovette / rogerlovette.blogspot.com

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