A little sand and soul

sand slides between
my fingers

as i scramble to
grasp each one

determined to
stop my beloveds
from growing
taller
deeper
funnier
kinder

more into
the soul
they’re here
to be

i hate fighting
what is theirs
to become

but sometimes
i forget they
aren’t sand to save

they’re made
of love and
i get to hold them
for a moment

i adore these
moments

Oof. Our youngest is finishing 5th grade in a couple months. Our oldest is finishing 8th grade in a couple months. Both moving to new schools. It’s a threshold. A thread to gently tug.

Some days I’m afraid to tug this one. It causes me to face my own growth and aging. It shows me how deeply I still want to hold on to the way things have been.

Their growth demands mine.

It’s so annoying, isn’t it?

I’m going to do all the ritual things to help my nervous system and heart make this journey with them, but still. I’m working on letting the sand fall between my fingers a little more.

Sending love for the places you’re holding on and the places you know it’s time to release a little more.

You’re amazing.

Jenny

A gift for you

• Where in your life are you trying to hold on too tightly to something—or someone—that is meant to grow, change, or move?
• What does it feel like in your body when you notice yourself “grasping,” and what might it look like to soften your grip, even slightly?
• Who are the people you love that are becoming more fully themselves right now—and what is beautiful (and maybe hard) about witnessing that?
• How do you experience the tension between cherishing a moment and wanting to preserve it?
• If you trusted that what you love is “made of love” rather than something fragile you could lose, how might that change the way you show up?
• What are the moments you get to adore right now, just as they are?