There was a Child went forth..By Madeline Rose

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object she look’d upon,

                 that object she became;

       

  And that object became part of her for the day, 
       or a certain part of the day,

                                   or for many years, 

           or stretching cycles of years.
                                                            
The giant pine trees of Spring Creek Forest

                              became part of her,

                              And the rollerblading,

                               and the garden,

and the front yard soccer games, and the hum of the bumble bees in the azaleas,

    And loquat feasts, yellow and sour,

And the unforgiving song of the ice cream truck, 
     and the freezer pops,

         and the summer hours

                     spent in the sun by the pool,

and the games of tag played on the game room furniture-
           all became a part of this child 

                                      
              Her own parents,

Who had so much responsibility over 7 children, but a great amount of love.

Photo taken in Kanab Ut the only time we ever took our children there for Larry's sister Vickie's memorial service.

Her father's guidance, protection, and patience,   

And her mother’s constant care, lessons and manners taught, and trust.

 They sacrifice more than what was and is asked of them;

Their support is immeasurable to any other, they let her grow and blossom   
 -they became part of her.

 Then school became a part of her,

                     And name tags,

                    and soccer,

                   and Magic Tree House,
            And new faces.

         

   Mother readers, and discipline pin of colored sticks,
    and calendars, 
                 and first TAKS test, 
                                  and Field Day,

 created a sense of accomplishment and hard work at a young age.

She became aware of her weaknesses that practice and time would alleviate,

She gained a love for running and learning which became a part of her.

The library visits and computer labs and little holiday parties,

And the basic lessons of math, English, science, and social studies – all became a part of this child.

Stress became a part of this child, the worry of failing,

 and wanting to feel recognized in a positive way.

The pressure of “fitting in” and avoiding the “uncool” kids, and the deeds of buying things to be in a popular crowd, sadly became a part of her;

The success when she found her true niche and friends,

 and choir being a place of refuge and expression,

My first solo and ensemble, a nerve wrecking experience.

   

The first time she stood up for her beliefs, 
 and found confidence to be herself in a world that rejected individuality

All became part of her.

Then the last four years at home came,

                       high school,

And independence became a part of this child,

And creating a stronger confidence in her self confidence,

Stretching herself to new heights while striving to make something great of herself as an adult.

Auditions and participation in musicals, 

       

    

 choir all four years,

 striving for an A average in all classes,

               never giving up,

Accepting and forgiving mistakes of herself and others became a part of her,

 The experience of change in the school’s reconstruction, 
                    in friends,

             in choir teacher

                            

                           and traditions.

  The enjoyment of going to the same school as her sister,

               and the football games,

                  and the school dances,

        and the annual Variety Show

                                          
                        Dance parties in the car,

                          music blasting,

                          and the movie parties;

The early mornings to seminary, and the after school tutoring

        The church dance winnings, 

   the camping involvement with church youth, 

  the tangible guidance for me from a patriarch,

 The knowledge of who she is and can become 
     became a part of this child.

The disastrous cries of 9/11 became know to her.The many natural disasters bombarded the world in her life.In Haiti, Japan, New Orleans, Indonesia, Chile—the list goes on.

The technology advancements in Apple became a part of this child,
   And Bieber, One Direction, Beyonce, Lady Gaga all singers of the pop relm that have her generation can’t get enough of.

The NASA’s rovers landing on Mars,

And the hype of Disney Princess movies, and Pixar movies, Global Warming scare, and Millenium apocalypse became a part of her.

The first black president of the United States along with all the other events – became a part of this child. 

These became a part of that child who went forth every day, 

  
           and who now goes, 

  and will always go forth every day.