A Poem For My Dad On his birthday

you were knit together for a beautiful purpose

you’ve been through so much since you arrived on this planet

a long journey of living and losing and winning and hurting and loving

and now, living in redemption

no one believes your real age

because you continue to be young inside

you were the nicest whale I knew, swimming in Manahan

you told me about the wizard and Dorothy and I thought you made it up till one day I saw the movie

you read my stories about Sarah and her pet penguin and took it seriously

you stretched my imagination and made room for “impossibilities”

you make up accents on the spot and change them every few moments

wherever you are, you stop and see people (really see them)

you make them feel like maybe, they are special

I wish the world could see

the color in your words and art

maybe they would know what it is that has kept you young

one day at a time

one brilliant, glorious, day filled with wonder

I wish that you could see

how you are why I am where I am now

I wish that you could see

all that God sees in you

so, my dear dad,

see the good

shove aside the “impossibilities”

keep creating and loving and seeing with child-like eyes

know you are swimming in Grace