MOON BABIES

and I'm so glad your family is a recipient of a wonderful one. Grace is much, much more than a name, and I am so happy for Emma. This poem is indeed, a children's fantasy story, and you are very lucky and talented to still be able to tap into the child in you. I'm including lyrics written by Bono of the band U2. I'm not sure if you are familiar with them, but I think you will find these words most comforting and meaningful. Best wishes, Tom Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, it's the name for a girl It's also a thought that changed the world And when she walks on the street You can hear the strings Grace finds goodness in everything Grace, she's got the walk Not on a ramp or on chalk She's got the time to talk She travels outside of karma She travels outside of karma When she goes to work You can hear her strings Grace finds beauty in everything Grace, she carries a world on her hips No champagne flute for her lips No twirls or skips between her fingertips She carries a pearl in perfect condition What once was hurt What once was friction What left a mark No longer stings Because Grace makes beauty Out of ugly things Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

Wonderful poem. That should be a child's book with illustrations. Or I should read your bio. It's probably been done ;-) No child or adult should be *condemned* to a hopeless sentence. Thank God the child learns to outwit their *judges*. I am reminded of a program called the Option, began as Sunrise in response to a writer & his wife who gave up everything to stay home and work with their autistic son, who was told would never be "responsive". Now the son teaches in the Option Institute. http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/ There are detractors, of course, as in all *help* programs. However, the point is that the Kaufmans did not listen to their son's doctors. Happy Belated Birthday Emma Grace, my daughter's birthday is 8/19. O, how the sun shined that day when Grace was crowned Look at all the moon babies pulling the night's magic curtains back, silver moonbeam flashlights in their tiny hands, smiling when they catch you peeking..... Love, Anna

That is a wonderful poem and for your sister, for Grace and for you I am very grateful for those that go against the odds. All of you are truly blessed, not only by her, but by having a loving and kind heart! Most respectfully, Rett: "Life is like a beach. Salty, gritty, somewhat fishy and at other times, downright crabby!" Rett 2008.

Smiles:) Barbara Beautiful poem, been through a lot with my now 22 year old son he was born with a birth defect. hardest years of my life in and out of the hospital with him me as single parent. just me and him and the surgeon that cared like a father and the best nursing staff.

aww...this is so sweet. especially since it was written for your grand daughter. i just know she'll love it. this'll make a great bedtime story. I just feel like something's missing. This is just nitpicking so you can ignore this if you want to:) I just think some more punctuation won't hurt, and I feel like it'll also help someone know when to slow down or stop when reading the poem out loud. Something like: "Moon babies come out at night to play But only when the moon is full. They have milk-white skin And little round bellies And they are as naked as they can be. They run, and they skip and Dance and laugh and play. They ride on the late night breezes And they can take a bath In a single drop of rain. "Wouldn’t you know, their favorite game Is playing hide and seek. One, two, three, Now don’t you peek. Come and find me, They look in your windows at night And they dearly love to pull your cats’ whiskers. You’ll never hear these babes play at all As they rarely ever speak above a whisper. "But when the dawn arrives Moon babies must run and hide But don’t you worry, ‘cause When the moon is full again They will come out and play again Their favorite game of hide and seek. One, two, three, Now don’t you peek. Come and find me..." I'm not an expert, but I hope this is okay... peace, Sophie