MY CIRCUS

This day will be just great as I wake in early morn
As I stumble out of bed and stop on kernels of popcorn.
"It's gonna be a new day!",  as I walk into the hall
Moving things out of my way, and tripping over my son's ball.
Of course it is still dark out, all my neighbors are asleep
But my one year old is rising, for the dawn she likes to greet.
"Shh" I say, don't wake them, this early, one is sure enough
And down the stairs we go to pile her with lots of stuff.
Why would any channel have a show at six am?
Let's go find your Barney tape and watch it once again.
I begin to make the coffee, and who's footsteps do I hear?
Two others are awake, around the corner they appear.
Cereal is poured, and in just two seconds juice is spilled
After just one bite they both insist that they are filled.
Stop watching your cartoons, can't you see were in a rush?
We need to save ten minutes just to find a single brush.
Home from all my errands, coats off, I start to sigh
Walking by the bin of laundry, that has reached it's all time high.
The afternoon goes crazy, as it always seems to do
"MOM, I FINGER PAINTED!"  "Yea, that's great, but you used glue!"
Husbands home for dinner, what exciting should I make?
A turkey with potatoes, from your dream you need to wake.
Bedtime is coming up, but tonight were out of luck
Running low on milk, so we pile into the truck.
Tub time is a nightmare, water stains upon the floor
As I leave to get the towels, those little buggers lock the door.
Bring them all downstairs, "Ok, I'll read you each one book."
"Who goes first tonight?", as they both give me a look.
We say our prayers, jump in bed, and kiss them all goodnight
"I'll see you in the morning, and I'll leave on the hall light."
Giggles last a minute, and sometimes they try to stall
But before long eyes are shut, and there's quiet in the hall.
It always is a saga, and it's always very busy
But how good is a soda if it isn't really fizzy?
I run around, but when I'm still, all I do is stare
At piggies, and big smiles, and their different colored hair.
I have my own small circus, that I can't believe we made
And there's not one thing at all, that I would ever trade.
This Thanksgiving, I give thanks, for my three clowns most of all
For the laundry, and the lost brush, and the spilled juice and the ball.
For the shuffle, and the errands, and the oh-so-dirty rugs
For the quiet time with Mommy, and the kisses, and the hugs.
For my humor and the love, that I can give to them each day
For the family God has blessed me with, in each and every way.

(My Thanksgiving prayer  in 1997 at our family dinner-and I thought I had a circus then, if I only knew)

Hugs!