I wrote this poem on February 20, 2008 which was my daughter's 10th birthday. We were in my bedroom together - I was on the bed with a notebook and she was, of course, looking at her collection of Pokemon cards. She had just gotten a new set for her birthday and she was absorbed with the organzing - placing the new cards in just the right place in her binder. I realized, in that moment, what is expressed in this poem.
For Nicole on her birthday
She came to me, innocent and sweet,
Chosen by God to make my life complete.
So tiny, so pretty, a picture of love,
She fit in my arms like hand and glove.
Now on this day, she turns ten,
My sweet baby is a person of opinion.
Dolphins, Pokemon and horses
are her methods and her forces
to express her inner voice
and show her courage of choice.
I wonder - "What will the future bring?"
God's plans are an unknown thing.
But this I know with all my heart,
my love for my daughter will never depart.
