Because you were young and did not know me,
these are some firsts that I did not see.

Your first toothless smile
and that grin from ear to ear,
Your first tears of sadness
and that sudden grip of fear.

Your first skinned knee
and your mother’s warm embrace,
Your first blushing kiss
followed by a slap to his face.

The first time you received praise,
for that job well done,
Your first run across the lawn,
in the warm summer sun.

There are so many things
that I did not see,
Because of this sad fact,
I make a promise to thee.

Our boy’s toothless smiles will be memories shared,
When tears flow from their eyes we’ll ease their despair.
When they fall off their bikes and scrape their knees,
They will run into our arms and we will hug them and squeeze.

Together, we’ll aid them in this journey of life,
and together, we’ll cry if they ever feel strife.
We’ll teach them life’s lessons and be their guides,
and one day they may smile at us as they kiss their brides.

We’ll sit on our front porch rockers,
and watch our grand-kids romp and play.
Then suddenly, we’ll glance at each other briefly,
but without words, our eyes will say…

“Though we didn’t know each other when each of us were tots,
Our lives have come together seamlessly like dot-to-dots.
While once our lives were separate and our memories were not shared,
The pencil of life has connected our dots, and now we are forever paired.”