A gorgeous poem: The Tapestry of Love

Grace Beeley is a teacher, mother, and author who is passionate about shifting the parenting paradigm away from shame and towards connection. She uses her teacher brain to explain child development concepts in ways that are easy to digest and apply. She lives in Ohio, US with her husband and two daughters. You can find more of her work on Instagram @burrowmama

I picture myself

knitting a giant blanket

that is my kids' childhood.

stitch by stitch

creating a big, warm comforting blanket.

there are some fancy stitches-

big vacations

much sought-after Christmas presents

the day we surprised them with the swing set

but most of it

almost all of it

is the repeated stitches of our daily rhythms

bedtime stories

family walks

drawers full of clean clothes

the way the sun hits their face when we push them on the swings

wrapping them in a towel when they're fresh from the bath

hair brushing and braiding

laying on our stomachs playing in the dollhouse

stroking their hair when they're sick

lunchbox notes

homework help

the way they run to their dad as soon as they hear the door open at the end of the day

each rock of the chair that lulled them to sleep

not every stitch is perfect

some of the wonky loops are yelling

or running out of patience

and have to be clumsily tied together with apologies and repair

but they hold.

even with the fancy stitches

mixed with the not-so-perfect stitches

when you look at the whole blanket

it's a beautiful thing to wrap yourself in.

the repeated stitches are what hold it together.

meaning hides in the repetition

in the paying attention

in the continued knitting

the rituals of home become clear

as the things we value rise to the top

and as i knit

i’m aware that i'm running out of yarn.

that they aren't mine forever.

but

i can give them this blanket to take with them.