A Poem, a Look, a Life

The eight year olds' birthday sleepover is now over and as expected, we're all exhausted. Face it, birthdays are exhausting. For me, the mother, it is like some still remaining body memory comes back every year and I wonder, do all mothers feel this way for their whole life as a mother?

But despite the labor echoes, the sleepover was sweet, as they are supposed to be. The girls did face painting, ate too much sugar and went to sleep too late. I cooked up my sleepover special pancakes and turkey bacon and the morning rolled by as the parents picked up their daughters and our house came back to some sort of order.

The afternoon unfolded with them exploring their new gifts, mostly furry ones that they'd already embraced into their already too large stuffed animal collection.

But one gift stood out for me and I think, for them. A simple gift the twins received from their grandma Lila. A poem she wrote in honor of their birthday. In honor of their birth.

It's a wonderful thing having a writer for a MIL, especially one as talented and artistically generous as Lila. Not a birthday or anniversary goes by that she doesn't offer a poem in celebration of the event. At 77 years old, she's published a number of books, most recently "Pages, A Memoir: Musings of a 75-year-old Woman," a true love poem to life in book form.

The poem she wrote for the twins birthday stands out as one of her most lovely and I wish I had a video camera on the girls face as they read it, out loud from my computer monitor. The look on each of their faces as they came upon a particular line will stay with me forever:

Life has been better since the twins have arrived


The only way I can describe the look on their face is one of deep contentment, of the peace that comes from knowing not only that you are loved, but that your life is part of a larger good. In this case, the larger good is that of our collective family, but hopefully, with knowing this at this early age, they will have this understanding throughout their life as their life continues to extend beyond our little clan. What more could we want from this life? What more could we want in a gift?

What compels Lila to write every day is the same that is taking hold in me - just as in the movie, "Up," where we see the fast slide show of a life shared in love, there is so little time with each other. Lila's great gift has gone far beyond the twins' and into my heart, to honor my life as a writer and a mother, and as another kindred soul working to bring the water that flows underground just a little, every day, to the surface.

Thank you, dear Lila, for your loving gift of words in celebration of two little girls who have changed my life and the life of who know them:


February 19th, 2010

The phone rang

It was 3o’clock in the morning

Auntie Deb excitedly said

The twins are coming

I jumped out of bed put on my eyeliner

I wanted to look pretty when the girls arrived

I kissed Zoie and Grandpa goodbye

Ran down the steps-jumped in my car-

I followed our plan and turned onto Venice Street

Deb’s car was there-of course

I remembered the plan –

Debra was taking sweet Mila in her Van

And I was going to Deb’s to help and to wait

It was around ten when the twins came into our world

Two little dolls

Maedee arrived a bit before Julea

We ooed and we ahhed and we cried and we laughed

Mila was hugging her two little sisters

They both fit in one bassinet

Life has been better since the girls have arrived

And the Trank- Greenes have become five

Happy Birthday to you two who are EIGHT

I Love you I Love you

You two are so great!!!!

Happy Birthday Darling Maedee and Julea

With Love From My Heart

Grandma Lila

© 2010 Lila Greene All rights reserved.