Where Lies my Baby Teeth

When I lost my baby teeth,

my father gathered them

and planted them

under a young sapling oak tree

where it would get lots of sunshine.

"You will grow strong and tall as this oak tree,

you will spread your branches far and wide.

You will allow nothing to stand in your way...

as long as you remember to water it".

In the furor and commotion of growing up

Of course, I forgot to water the plant

Still, it grew tall and strong without me

My mother remembered though

She tended to my teeth and tree

Years later, when stress and responsibility began to take its toll...I remembered my tree, the root of myself planted beneath a great oak tree

The tree had been kind to my roots...it grew its own roots over them to protect them while they waited for me to return - to come sit under its branches and leaves and bare my soul. It was not yet a mighty oak. But it was on its way.

My father sits with me, while my mother watches from the window with a knowing smile.

My father planted me firmly in a place where I could always find solace.

My mother watered the roots, which then fed my branches.

I understood then, that my life needed to be grounded in my own special soil. I needed to set it free to grow, plant it in sunshine and water it with care.

I was free to chart my own journey---

The sky being no limit.