a gathering to remember....

somehow i knew i'd end up with the really
big gaudy red eyelashes! i popped them right
on like i'd been wearing false eyelashes
my whole life.

the others weren't quite so easy with them.
hmmmmm.....there's a hidden talent i didn't
know i had. i'm quick on the eyelashes.

the girl's saved theirs as they were heading
to the pool afterwards. they wanted to wear
them when they would last. one friend had
trouble putting hers on so finally decided
to put them on her third eye and popped them
right on her forehead.

there was a lot of laughing, some real talk,
and some tears. a real woman's gathering.
my friend i always cry with, the mom of my
god daughter, looked over at me with her goofy
lashes and said 'it's hard to tear up with
these on!' and i laughed. cause every time
i looked at her i laughed. her eyelashes were
half on - half off.

she sang a song she wrote to her daughter.
my lashes didn't stop me from crying then.
i looked at her daughter....so young. so
incredibly beautiful. so lucky to have the
mom she has.

i sat across another friend who read her poem
that she wrote to the birthday girl.

wow.
it knocked my socks off.
i clapped when she was done.

and there was the gorgeous jewelry that another
woman had made complete with a write up of
what it symbolized. wow. i was totally impressed.

i sat around the table and looked at these
women.

really amazing women, i thought.
how lucky i am to be part of this.

someone commented on how she never had a gathering
like this at 13.
yeah.
no kiddin'.

i hope it made some kinda impression on my god
daughter. and i hope she felt how totally wrapped
in love she was. and what a special group she had
behind her.

i was there at her birth. i watched her slide on
out into the world. then today....i watched her
listen to her mom sing her song to her...

what an honor to watch her grow up.
what an honor to watch mother and daughter.

yeah.
i got a little wistful that i didn't have a daughter.

what a special special relationship.

then i thought of those goofy guys of mine and smiled.

yeah...it's okay. i got the apes.
i'm good with that too.

it's all good.
it's all so so so good.