I See You

I see you growing, becoming:

Your quick mind sponging up knowledge, always thirsting for more,
Discernment just beginning to trace its furrows in your brow,
Perception peeping out through shining eyes;

Joy and wonder at life’s beauty

Expressed in exuberant art, song and movement;

Curiosity run rampant,

Ingenuity flowering – expanding, limitless;

Discovery admitting new worlds delightedly explored,

Imagination hatching dreams of what will be

Uninhibited by what is.
I see the tell-tale lengthening of limbs and face,

The gap-toothed smiles that signal evolution:

Your all-too-hasty march towards womanhood.

And to me, you are perfect.

I see your beauty:

Graceful limbs unfolding, slight, yet strong;
Smooth, sun-browned skin

Unmarred by its light speckling of moles,

A stray bruise or scrape earned by a risk taken,

The miniscule freckles that mark a day at the beach,

A mountain hike on a sunny afternoon.
I see bright blue-gray eyes sparkling with life,

Rosy lips curved in a gentle smile,

The dimpled chin I love so well,

Your lovely face framed in shining, honey-brown hair.
I see the beginnings of critical self-appraisal,

Discontent with the mirror’s reflection.

It bewilders and frightens me.

Because to me, you are perfect.

I see your heart:

Drawn to the unloved,

Remembering the forgotten,

Converting stranger to friend in an instant;

Eager to please,

Honest through tears and in spite of fears,

Easily wounded,
Yet always open, vulnerable.

I see you caring for the earth:

Mothering even the tiniest of its creatures,

Planting seeds with hope,

And watering them with care.

I see you caring for people:
Offering help with a chore,
A thoughtful gift,
A kind word,

A tender, fix-it cure.

Sharing warmth in hugs and cuddles,
Jokes and giggles,

Enthusiastic hellos and reluctant farewells,

Conspiratorial looks,

Intimate chats,

The flash of a genuine grin.

I see Love glowing brightly in the depths of your soulful eyes.

And to me, you are perfect.

I see your character:

The sensitive nature finely tuned,

So receptive to sensation and sound, gesture and tone;

Interpreting and internalizing all you see and hear, touch and feel;
Bouncing from confidence to doubt,

Wrestling with fear and pain,

Tormented by “what ifs.”

Yet trying always to be

Kind,

Truthful,

Brave,

Good;

Wanting desperately to be

Noticed,

Included,

Valued,

Loved.

Know this now, darling child of my heart:
I love you with a fierce, ungovernable and never-ending love.

I see you – all of you.

And to me, you are perfect.

Written for Emmeline in November, 2013 by Lorelei Cress in Loma Linda, California
All rights reserved.