letter to gem

dear gem,

though you may not know, you brighten my day every time i see you. even on the days when you have the most bitter taste in your mouth, or when you are barfing in a tin bucket in bed, or when you are slumped over the side of the couch listening to your ipod and ignoring my existence, or when you are hanging on me like i'm some sort of jungle gym and you are absolutely killing my back.

it has been nearly four years now since the first day we met and i must say, seeing you grow into such a beautiful young soul has been so inspirational. you are so creative and i often see a bit of myself in you. if i give you the tools to do something, you create magical things and i love seeing you work so hard within your creativity.

i remember that first day we met, you were sitting on the kitchen counter by the old toaster (that angus burnt his hand to a crisp in!) in a billowy dress, your platinum hair entwined in wildflowers you had picked from the front yard, 5 years old or so. you wouldn't even look me in the eye, but you were waiting patiently for the cookies to come out of the oven, while your brother slept upstairs, the warm scent of vanilla wafting from the oven. later, on a warm summer day, you and i went to the park, just us. i brought some crayons that i had stashed away and some paper and we sat in the shady grass by the library and colored, not saying a word. i watched as you drew cats and babies and flowers. an hour or so passed and finally you started talking. you talked about your garden and how much you loved snap peas. you talked about how you would like to visit the sustainable living fair to learn about solar ovens. you talked about how much you loved iced coffee with a touch of cream, decaf of course. you talked about how you were sad that your parents got rid of your cats, which you loved so dearly, all because of your little brother's allergy to them. you talked about how much it soothed you to have someone read you stories, but your parents didn't have a lot of time to do that right now with the birth of gus. you talked about how much you loved cheese, and how much you loved stringy, stretchy cheese pizza. you really were quite an exquisite little gem and at that point, i knew we would be friends for many years to come.

i remember that day when you found out that you were dairy intolerant and mac 'n cheese dates would be no more for us. i remember the day when you first got your guinea pig, cappuccino and you were so excited to show me his timid little body running about trying to hide from us. i remember the day you came home from school in tears because of some jerk who blamed you for some stupid classroom misunderstanding. i remember the day you got your hula hoop and you were immediately so good... but i was not, and i still am not. i remember the day you lost your first tooth, and you kept losing them after that and you looked so cute when you smiled. i remember those many friday nights where we would build forts after putting gus to bed, get out a flashlight and read and laugh and play games.

now, nearly four years later, you are nine. you love to knit, you love to swim, you love to ride your bike (not right now though because of your rough fall on the elbow), you love to paint, you love grits with garlic and butter, you love guacamole, you love to hike, you love your best friend laurel, you love your little brother and your mama and dad, you still love being read to.

i know life troubles you sometimes, and you are very sensitive to your surroundings (and your little brother drives you absolutely nuts sometimes), but you are a powerful little human. some days, i'll walk into your room and immediately know that you are in a funk. though challenging, you never take your troubles out on me, you are always kind... sometimes very whiney, but on those days we find ourselves snuggling with a book in your bed when its raining or taking walks in the forest (and stepping on cacti! ouch!) and drinking tea in the hammock with a good story. i don't think you are aware of how comforting it is sometimes just to snuggle on the couch and tell stories to each other. i cherish each moment spent with you, even when you are sitting on the side of the road telling me that your legs hurt and you're giving up.

don't grow up too fast, you have the rest of your life to be a serious adult. keep your life simple and stick to almond butter and honey sandwiches for lunch. roll around in the grass like we always do, climb trees, skip, build forts. listen to your parents, they are some of the most amazing people i've met in a long time (and so are you). enjoy the time that you spend at home and in school, because the real world can get tough sometimes. continue to be kind to your brother, he can be difficult, but he is pretty fantastic. continue to paint and draw and knit. continue to love animals and continue to give to people and animals in need.

you are gold, gemma spoon :)

love always,
your pal,
allyce