hey mama

.:hey mama:.
he studies me.
every move,
he’s watchin.
and I run by him
forty-seven
times a day
studying to-do lists,
& schedules
& obligations.
.:hey mama:.
he shadows me.
I rush past,
huffing
& muttering,
anxious hands
tangled in laundry
& dishes
& tennis shoe laces.
.:hey mama:.
and I walk right past.

Jesus, help me slow down.
help me stop to catch his eyeballs,
to hear his questions,
to sit still & hold him.
to laugh like I’m little again.

cause most of who he’ll be
one day
isn’t wrapped up in
target runs,
or homework
or piano lessons.
it’s in these tiny moments
we steal,
side-smiling
as we snuggle.

remind me
that this is the stuff,
these are the heart-making,
ambition-driving
soul-shaping,
who-he’ll-be
moments
that I wanna show up for.

they may not make us
on time
or tidy
or straight A students,
but they are the
brightest,
meaningfullest,
sum of our parts.
they are what sticks.
they are love
squished hopefully between
layers & layers of life
happening right before our eyes.
these moments are the glue.
if I stop to give them nothing else,
lemme stop to give them love.
lemme stop to give them You.