Two Feelings At The Same Time

Clementine sang this song the other day and I had no idea she knew it.

A salesperson asked Josie when her birthday was and she answered, to my astonishment: July.


I thought of this poem, What is Supposed to Happen, by Naomi Shihab Nye:

When you were small,
we watched you sleeping,
waves of breath
filling your chest.
Sometimes we hid behind
the wall of baby, soft cradle
of baby needs.
I loved carrying you between
my own body and the world.

Now you are sharpening pencils,
entering the forest of
lunch boxes, little desks.
People I never saw before
call out your name
and you wave.

This loss I feel,
this shrinking,
as your field of roses
grows and grows….

Now I understand history.

Now I understand my mother’s

ancient eyes.

(Sometimes you feel two feelings at the same time - and that's ok.)