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My Shadow

My Shadow

BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

 

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

 

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

 

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an errant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
This poem captured my imagination as a child, and it all came flooding back to me when I saw little Miss M playing with her shadow this afternoon – running, dancing, striking a pose.
What could be better?

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Who can resist the scent of lilacs? Not me!

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Chosen

Those of you who know me, probably know I’m adopted. In fact, being adopted is one of my favorite things in my life. I remember very well bedtime stories of how I came to be part of the family. It was kinda a case of Parents Meet Girl, Parents Lose Girl, Parents Get Girl.  A classic!

So you can imagine how my heart melted when I heard the story of this sweet family, and their session couldn’t come soon enough. They traveled much further than my parents to meet their son.  

I don’t think they minded all that much though.

Taking in all the details! It is those little things that count.

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Something truly terrifying happened to me the other day…

I walked into the kitchen and lo and behold… there was a giant at the breakfast table. Devouring mounds of food. Where did he come from? There used to be a little boy that lived here – just barely 3 pounds when he joined our family. Was that really 10 1/2 years ago?

So I made friends with this giant and he invited me to explore his woods. I wanted to know what was in there.

Is there something in there causing him to grow up so quickly?

First he took me to his “secret special spot.”

Sure enough. It was pretty special. I can’t tell you where exactly, because it is a secret after all.

Then we toured the battleground. Apparently, a great many wars have been fought on this hilltop.

But don’t let the serious face fool you. This giant is also a philosopher.

“Stay on the path. This is where I discovered the King Snake.”

Then we met up with the giant’s best friend. Funny. I remember him being much smaller too.

I must have done something right, because this mysterious giant then took me to his treasure trove. There was a veritable heap of treasure. Unidentifiable rusted objects, pieces of broken chain that will be really good for something, old printer parts, wood scraps in all shapes and sizes… Even a few chairs that only needed the legs nailed back on, and new seats, and a bit of stuffing.

I sure am glad I had my camera. No one would believe me otherwise…

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