Another Thoughtful Thought

Comes the Dawn
(thanks Aunt Rita)

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand
and sharing a life
And you learn that love doesn’t mean possession
and company doesn’t mean security and loneliness is universal

And you learn that kisses aren’t contracts
and presents aren’t promises
and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes open with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build your hope on today as the future has a way of falling apart in mid-flight because tomorrow’s ground can be too uncertain for plans,
yet each step taken in a new direction creates a path toward the promise of a brighter dawn.

And you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much,
so you plant your own garden
and nourish your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn to love,
true love always has joys and sorrows
seems ever present, yet is never quite the same
becoming more than love and less than love
so difficult to define

And you learn that through it all you really can endure
that you really are strong
that you do have value

and you learn and grow with every goodbye you learn.

-Joy Whitman-