When my first son married, I sent a question to the parents and grandparents asking, “When you said, “I do,” what is something you ended up doing, something you’d never imagined, that brought you great joy. I turned the answers to those questions in, “What are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life” (Poem 1). To listen to Frank Sinatra sing the song that inspired this project, click here. My second son married this week with family coming from all over the country – from California, New Jersey, Kentucky – and inbetween – to celebrate. I did the same project with them. Let me tell you, I fell in love with my daughter-in-laws family when I read their answers. This is their poem:
What are you Doing for the rest of your life? Poem II
What are you doing for the rest of your life, Beautiful,” he asked.
“Spending it with you,” she smiled, smiling his favorite smile
Dreams, Expectations, and Love
reshape, re-form
as the rest of your life unfolds
Papaw laughed, saying, “We didn’t know nothing when we got married”
but their house filled up,
creating their own love equation:
1girl + 1 boy + a set of twins
equals 12 grandsons
Who thought a house
could hold so much love?
“Packing and unpacking the good-stuff
about 20 times over 45 years,” mused Papa Bill.
“Savoring the slow grow
from Switzerland to Cape Cod,
France to the New Mexican Mountains,
the slow grow of a life-time of family,
Grandpa Leo, like a story-teller said,
when one day a precious granddaughter
chased butterflies through wildflower
fields
and, in the watching,
I saw the most beautiful
flower
of them all.
“I learned that miracles come in threes
A lifetime is full of blessing,”
explained Granny.
“That love shares
toothpaste
and dreams
growing
so much bigger than your imagination
daily, weekly, yearly
there is always more love
and the idealistic star-gazer matured
understanding.”
“A house on the water filled with grand
children
who ever thought visits could mean so much?”
Queried Grandma Doris
“Weekends, vacations, any time
kayaking, fishing, water skiing and big
waterfront bonfires with those I love so much
roasting marshmallows and listening
and loving every moment
How does I do make scraps for love story pieces?
Somehow, it does – and out of it comes
garden tulips, little Dutch girls
and farmer boys, soccer balls and
all things Papaw from trucks, tractors
and Apple Tree Swings quilted
and wrapped tight around
so many little shoulders
like hugs and love,” explained Nanny.
“My happiest Days?
A Mama’s Trinity:
babies born,
college graduation,
and weddings,”
misty-eyed Grandmama wistful explained.
His mama gladly
put girly, girl dreams aside
to find joy in boys and their toys:
Whoever thought snuggle-buggles and Nerf-Gun Wars could bring so much joy
Learning to hug
in all the love languages,
the huggable language of each son!
Challenging each other to love
To God’s beard and back
“Who knew?” his daddy said.
“Wiffle ball, sock wars,
and Friday Three Stooge
Night
could be so much fun,
or watching soccer
under the moon and the sun,
while walking out with each son
the plumb line of dream building”
“Hide-N-Seek
in the dark,
boys sitting on kitchen counter-tops
telling stories big and little,
little and big
and laughing, a joy unanticipated over 35 years ago,”
his Aunt Sherry said added.
“Rooms filled
with yellow paper
birthday
Stars,” her mama said determinedly,
“every year,
every birthday.”
Who knew how important creating
an environment that grew
a strain of independence
in a three-year-old breakfast-maker
artist, speaker, singer?” said her father.
“Who knew how important that would
become to me, to be an encourager of
independence for you to be
you
following a path all your own
forged with your will,
designed with your brain
out of your own heart
which led you to a volley ball court in Tennessee
where a boy lived who loves you true
What are you doing for the rest of your life?
You really haven’t a clue
about the wonderful details and moments inside the plan
God has in store for you!
Big and Little
Little and Big
(To see the first What are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life, please click here.)
What an incredible gift you have given your beloved sons and their brides! It is so uniquely beautiful and amazing, as always with your writing! Your sons are truly blessed to have you as their mom! Thanks so much for sharing! May the Lord bless you all with many wonderful days ahead! {{HUGS}} ♡
Thank you, Teresa! So very glad you came by – that is so incredibly special to me! I think in this world of boys, this is one way I can love them – and it might not mean so much to them now – but in that slow drip kind of way, it builds up until they see a bucket full of something valuable to them! {HUGS} Right Back at you!
This is so beautiful, Maryleigh. What a wonderful idea and gift to your son. It’s been a season of coming up with creative ways to encourage our eldest son whose marriage is hanging on the edge . . . but your poem reminds me that God has plans for him. And also that each detail and moment up till now matters. Maybe even mom needs to remember that if a chapter closes that chapter still remains a part of the book. Not sure if that’s make sense. 🙂
Many blessings to you and your family. xoxo
Simply, gloriously, love-filled! May the Celebration keep on flowing …
May God bless their marriage. I used to do something similar each year with my students when I was teaching. I’d ask them to describe the sights and sounds of friendship, and then write a big long poem for them at the end of each school year. Always made me cry.
Maryleigh, what a fabulous, beautiful, priceless photo! You look so YOUNG))!! Darn you! x
Beautiful words from a beautiful Spirit. Thank you for sharing this wondrous tine with friends.
Love the words, the photo, this whole post! 😀
oh my heart. This post and the Friday post. What. Family. What joy. Many blessings.
This is beautiful. What a beautiful gift to give your son and daughter-in-law. May the Lord bless and proposer their marriage.
What a beautiful poem and such a beautiful photo of the two of you. Praying for a wonderful and fruitful marriage for your son and new daughter-in-law. The poem really says it all. Stopping in from Playdates.
Love this photo! So beautiful you are.
And what a fantastic project and gift to give your son and d-i-l. They will treasure those words from family for a lifetime.
“Learning to hug in all the love languages.” “Sharing toothpaste and dreams” and the “slow grow”. Amen for the slow grow. This was beautiful and a blessed reminder of all the wonder of this life.
This took my breath away. absolutely beautiful Thank you for sharing!!
What a wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing!
So beautiful, Maryleigh! You know, don’t you, that my oldest son is getting married on the 20th. It seems our lives/families continue to reflect one another! And I love your idea about including the thoughts of the daughter-in-law’s family. I’m behind on this endeavor, but am going to try it anyway! Hugs to you
I love that! What s great idea to ask that. I need to remember it in the blink of an eye, when my girls get married 🙂
You have so richly blessed your family and all of us as we read along! What an inspiration and sweet mama you are!
[…] breath arrangements for dinner table-tops. My husband took the wedding poem I’d written, What are you Doing for the Rest of Your Life II accompanied by the art work my son’s mother-in-law-to-be had created . He delivered 50 […]