DEBBY ROSENFELD

Loving People

Loving people means sometimes messing up.
We try to tailor our words to lead to joy.
Like the game of telephone,
sometimes the message is changed en-route,
devastating instead of lifting up.

Loving children means trying to keep things smooth.
Bumpy life is in-between,
challenging our outcomes in real time.
Infusing positive energy doesn’t always fix things.
We ruminate.

There is a lesson in the bumps, if
we can sift through the rocks to find it.
Sometimes we learn about forgiveness,
acceptance, moving on, or alternate routes.
Sometimes we hunker down in the dark,
waiting for moods to pass, fearing they never will.

But loving people also means sometimes getting it right.
Floating on a cloud of euphoria when we see them smile,
hugging them and feeling safe from every angle.

Loving children means laughing when they laugh.
Playing with their hair while reading funny stories.
Creating moments that linger on their minds
when we think they’re sleeping.

There is a lesson in the happiness too, if we can
catch our reflection for a moment and look inside.
At those moments we see our capacity for fullness,
our innate abilities to give and to receive—
fill and be filled.

Loving people means sometimes messing up,
sometimes getting it right. Most of all,
it means journeying through life with a reason…

…a reason to care enough to keep on trying.

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Debby Rosenfeld’s poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in Sage Trail Poetry Magazine, San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, Street Spirit and elsewhere. She has guest-written nonfiction articles for the blog of Dr. Pamela Peeke, the bestselling author and weight-loss expert, whom she considers a mentor. Debby has worked in sales and has volunteered teaching creative writing to elementary school students. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, two sons and assorted pets.