Harvey
It’s six in the morning …
And I saw my grandson born today
Six pounds three ounces
Wet flesh on trembling hands
Big eyes and tiny fingers
To Virginia Heywood – a son
Tears fall on swollen cheeks
Fresh flushed from labour
Outside
Dawn becomes day
Look
A sun-kissed welcome from periwinkle skies
Hello
“I know now that everything changes, and it’s usually too quickly.”*
Having children reminds us of the changing nature of ourselves and our world. Before children entered my life, years could go by and I would usually have external events to mark them. Now, years are remembered for my children’s birth or ages, and our experiences together. (And the time before the birth of my first child feels like a thousand years ago!). Their growth seems rapid and shockingly sudden – and my time with them is all the more precious for knowing that.
* © from 'Being Mummy' by Anne‑marie Taplin, published April 2007