Celebrate The Whole Boy

"Miguel, what are you doing?" I asked nonchalantly after I bounded into his room last night.

"I just wrote a poem."

"Really? What made you do that?"

It was his bedtime and he'd been waiting for either Verna or me to stay with him for a few minutes while he fell asleep. I expected and hoped he was going to say he scribbled a few lines of verse down after being inspired by watching Obama's inauguration at school.

"I was bored."

Oh well. So much for MY parental hopes. Seriously, though, I was still mightily impressed with Miguel. He created something with his mind and heart. He does well in school, but Miguel would trade in a heartbeat a day of being in the classroom for sport and play outdoors in almost any kind of weather. I did put a poster up in his room showing a small group of boys, all clad in football gear, clustered around one who is playing the violin. It reads: Celebrate the Whole Boy.

Yes, I want to nurture Miguel's dream to become a professional athlete, but I am also as glad that he wears a t-shirt with the following quote from John Steinbeck, "I guess there are never enough books", that he picked out at the Steinbeck Museum gift shop.

So I was even more impressed that he jotted down the following in a matter of minutes. I also think it was influenced by all that he saw and heard as his 5th grade class watched history being made when President Obama recited the oath of office.

Miguel's poem:

Wonders

As I sit on my front step looking out into space, I see the wonders of life,
The wonders of painting a picture with words,
The wonders of America,
And the wonders of everything beyond that.

Yes, we do celebrate the whole boy. Our boy, Miguel, blossoming, almost, into a young man.