Prepare your heart.  Prepare your mind.

Make way for our Heavenly King,
who humbled himself from Holy on High,
to earthly flesh - in a lowly manger to lie.

Th Author of the Universe,
born to live the perfect life and take upon Him man's own curse,
delivered to the cross to die.

Reconciled and freed from sin, now pure in God's own sight,
we give thanks and praise to Christ Jesus our Lord
who was born that first Christmas night.

Now that you’re two, we see the boy you will be
Whether you’re chasing the dog or surprising us with hugs, we love your personality-
Energetic and kind, strong-willed and smart;
naughty, sweet, or wild, we love your big heart.

Now that you’re two, you have lots of things to say.
With excitement in your eyes, you tell us new stories every day.
We listen intently, though we can’t decipher it all,
most of your stories end with a laugh, an exuberant shout, or something about bup bup and a ball.

Now that you’re two, each day you learn something new.
You can point to your nose, your tummy and toes, and let us know when a choo choo is passing through.
You’re observant like an engineer, and try to figure things out on your own.  
“I got it” is your confident phrase, but you’ll ask for help if you can’t do something alone.  

Now that you’re two, you’re a great little helper.
In addition to being the best mess maker we know, you’re also a great picker upper.
Your favorite chore is feeding the dog every morning and night
because when we’re not looking you like to sneak a bite.

Now that you’re two, your world is so much bigger,
Wanderlust is in your blood, you always seek adventure.
Sometimes your curiosity strays you too far from our side.
You’re fearless and bold, and brave enough to conquer the big kid slide.

Now that you’re two, you would rather live outside.
If you could, you’d play in the yard all day and never step inside.
You’re easy to please; all you need to have fun is a stick or a ball, and a little bit of space.
But, it breaks your heart when we have to be done and puts the saddest look on your cute little face.

Now that you’re two, your talents are on display.
Every sport you’ve picked up, you naturally know how to play.
Maybe someday you’ll be a soccer star and play on the national team-
maybe you’ll be a pitcher, an artist, a doctor, whatever your choose, we want you to chase your dream.

We love you with our whole hearts and with every fiber in our being.
We pray you’ll grow to be a good man, who loves the Lord, and serves Him willingly.

When the light inside your head turns gray
and all you’ve had for breakfast was coffee and some cold regrets;
you choke down words you cannot say
and stumble out to greet the day.

The faces on your desk look blank,
like the shadows that you stop to thank.
You’ve died inside and met your fate,
your heart cries out don’t complicate.

You stop to watch two lovers as they walk hand in hand,
suddenly, you think you understand,
but you don’t.
Your heart cries out, don’t contemplate.

This chapter in your book of life,
once full of love and happiness-
now the hole inside your chest
is pain and strife.

And it ends not like you know it should
and you’d try to fix it if you knew you could,
try to mend it all the same,
but it’s hard to fan a burned out flame.

These pages coming to their end,
in this chapter it seems you've lost a friend.

We rock together in the chair-
your morning tempest nestled into the crook of my arm.
I wait patiently for the edge of your storm
for clouds and cries to ease away and my coffee to cool.

What do you think about in the quiet calm?
Do you think? Or do you simply feel?
Comfortable and complete, I wonder about you
and the person you will be.

What do you see
when you stare
at the wall, the window,
the side of my face?

Colors, shapes, shadows, light- captivate you.
I enjoy watching you try to figure it all out.
Everything new,
nearly too much to take in.

Slowly- the sights, warmth, and motion
overwhelm you.
Your eyes close-
although you fight it.

We breathe together.
I hold you close,
lost in the wonder of your face-
so familiar and strange.

We had been trying for a few months
and she had convinced herself that something was wrong-
that it was never going to happen.

I didn’t know, but said it would, eventually.
Told her we had to be patient.  It was out of our control,
but we would keep trying.

I came home from work tired;
expecting to see her upset on the couch again.
At the door I took a breath-    walked up the stairs,

tossed my keys and wallet on the table, prepared to comfort.  
Her face was silent, but her eyes smiled.
It was then I noticed, next to my keys, a pregnancy test with

two pink lines.

the purpose of life is to
love
and
grow.

As we get older,
friends change.
We lead different lives,
value different things
and are less inclined
to compromise.

You are my only friend
who will remain.

And when
you
or
I
change,
we will change (and grow)
together.

Through his grizzled beard,
“Mary says I need to work
on my people skills.
I don’t know- maybe I do.”

His relentlessly youthful eyes
know when the sap will run.
His sense of the woods is deep.

His thick gnarled hands
can take nature and find its art.

The deep lines on his face map a life well lived.