Beautiful Hurricane

I call her 'the hurricane'...
 
I look at this girl and my heart abounds far from the safety of my chest!
When I really, truly stop and take all of her in I am astonished by what I see and by what I feel...

A whir of tears and laugher, loud voices and tender touch... our days              collide. 

This girl rises before me... 
she is funny...
she is loving...
and she has a fire inside of her that is capable of total abolition.
         A demanding inferno of kindness and forgiveness and love.


We challenge one another constantly and we come out the other side stronger!
       
I still lay with her at night as she hesitantly drifts off to sleep. Partly it's because she refuses to sleep if I'm not there, but mostly its because I'm not ready to take that leap and let her go. Most nights I get frustrated by her reluctance to actually go to sleep. I endure many pleadings for more stories or more songs, until I finally resort to threats. 

Nevertheless, on those nights when I watch her as she tries so desperately to fall asleep, I am floored by her . 
   
 Her birds nest hair resting on my arm. 

  Her eyelids all a flutter, blanket eyes that submerge me in their waking depth.  

    Her mouth, like two puffed up pillows, fall open just enough for her milky breath to escape.

           Her Vegemite cheeks... full and rosey.

She is beauty personified and no matter what the trials of the day have been... no matter the struggle... no matter the challenge... no matter the mind numbing monotany of our daily life together... her beauty astounds me and I am left silently standing in her wake.