Today I was going through some books and found a book I bought Greta when she was about 11 I think. This is the first poem in the book. Isn't this our wish for our daughters?
Seize The Day
By Judith Ortiz Cofer
Remember to wake early and take your time in rising.
Enter the world refreshed by the hope
emitted by each atom of light,
by the bird who must sing at the sight
of the sun. Does he pity us humans,
who can choose not to break into song
at dawn?
Look for small revelations all day.
Let water heal your body. Think of bathing
as a ritual of new beginnings.
Step outside and breathe deeply.
Take in the smells
of life, good and foul. Remember
this day is a gift.
Be surprised by nature
that shares your world of giant steps.
The bug that irks you,the yellow butterfly
that catches your eye,
and the furred thing with sharp teeth
that repels you – are all in your moment
of history.
Concentrate on living hour by hour as if
you were feeding coinsinto a meter
measuring your life.
Here is this hour,
and you have already paid for it.
Love your work, and enjoy your play.Remember,
there is little lasting joy in things done
only for gold or fame.Without love
your spirit will be a flower
picked without purpose
and thrown on the ground to be trampled by anyone.
Have a place and a time
to sit with your thoughts.
Pray before sleep, or read a great poem.
Sacred words will clear your crowded mind.
Remind yourself to speak Spanish
before you go into the dark.
Greet you ancestors
in our native tongue, let them guide you
to the place of your origin, an island in the sun,
our home now only in our dreams. Say noche,
say amor, say suenos.
Welcome the night. Good sleep
is your body’s mending time. In its sweet release,
the fires of worry and anger will be subdued;
and in dreams you may learn to fly above any blaze,
and let your secret self float free
above a new world.
You must imagine and learn to embrace
each and every day.
