Thursday 8 April 2010

Keepsakes, Songs & Perfume.

The holidays move on, child-paced, savoured,
rushing by in slow-motion,
like a memory.


The household busy with comings and goings,
friends arriving, leaving, sharing this taste of summer,
bringing together this collection of moments which we add to our little hoard of gold.

This treasure.



And it is a sweetness that lingers in our mouths like a forgotten keepsake,
a memento that clings effortlessly to the tendrils of yesterday.
Carefully woven into the essence of who these little people will become.


A precious gift of the simplest kind.

History.

Their story. 



Something to fold away tenderly into the leaves of the sum of who they are,
like a perfume or a song that enters the wide-eyed interior of childhood
and quietly entwines and knits and threads all these little fragments together.


And that lingering sweetness will remain,
those precious bonds that found their way to each other at the beginning of being,
will be unbreakable, and unshakeable,
because they cannot be untangled.



And this is the gift we give our children,

This blessing that is the power of friendship.

27 comments:

Dumbwit Tellher said...

Your weave words so beautifully. This post was so touching & meaningful. Truly special xx

Rebecca S. said...

The simple joys of childhood occupy the greatest amount of space in memory. I know that to be true from my own life, and from the lives of my growing children. One wonderful afternoon at the ocean can provide fuel for the imagination for years. forever.

HKatz said...

I love the adjectives you choose - "child-paced, savoured".

Anonymous said...

ah yes. so well put, Ciara. such a lovely and very apt description of the possibilites of childhood.

Elizabeth said...

How beautiful you've spun this tale and the lives of your children --

Gigi Thibodeau said...

Just beautiful, Ciara, and those last two photos (really all the photos) left me in a puddle. I love the way you weave word and image into a seamless whole. xo

Ellen said...

So touching...children and the seashore make me smile. Your photos show how life is full of joy, play, adventure and most of all the love your children feel...

Stephanie V said...

Your words and photos have captured the essence of what we all remember and hope that our children will remember. That snail spiral is a beautiful image.

Jayne said...

You have a great eye with photography - I find your blog so relaxing. It is like a gentle reminder to 'look up, look down and look all around' at life. Thank you for that! I don't get reminded often enough, I think.

Martin said...

You have penned some lovely lines here Ciara. I particularly like "..child-paced, savoured, rushing by in slow-motion.." A perfect summing up of magical times spent wit children.

Andrew Judge said...

Lovely thoughts. I miss mid-term breaks. But I don't miss the school that goes with it.

Jenn @ My Not So Glamorous Life said...

Perfect!

What a wonderful gifts siblings are <3

Formerly known as Frau said...

Well said and amazing pictures!

Chris Judge said...

Beautiful Ciara I feel like I was there.

Emma said...

Beautiful words and images. What a wonderful day.

Jo said...

Wow. Brave childer!

Mimi said...

"Something to fold away tenderly into the leaves of the sum of who they are"
These are beautiful words.
And your photos are beautiful too, making a whole lovely composition.
I lose that spot in photo 1, is it Kilcoole?

Elaine Prunty said...

your photos and words are real treasure.

Stacie said...

Really beautiful images and I love the term child paced too...I have never heard of that before, but it really is descriptive of the wonderful way time is stretched out to infinity when young...

Catherine said...

Hi Ciara - lovely children, lovely photos of Ireland in rare but delightful sunshine! I came your way via Mise's blog and see we have a few followers in common - Stephanie V is another one - perhaps you can visit mine and follow. I have just marked the milestone of my 50th follower so I am in awe at your thousand plus - a great achievement!
Good wishes, Catherine

Mise said...

Our Easter holidays here have been as good as it gets, and it pleases me to think of you, across the country, having the same hell of a time. Keep those children bouncing and running, bless them. And your cerebral motherhood is as good as it gets.

Vanilla Press said...

Hi there Ciara, I just love this post. So beautiful.
Isn't the weather in Ireland beautiful right now, looking forward to getting down to the beach sometime soon.
Take care
Jas
x

Relyn Lawson said...

This is such a beautiful poem of a post.

business plan said...

Your blog never seizes to have beautiful photos...

mimi charmante said...

I. Love. Your. Photography.
truly

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