Where I’m From

Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart, rather than a piece of our mind.” – unknown

My daughter, Miss O, wrote a poem for her fifth grade class. She will be graduating tomorrow and is on to middle school. Her experience at our neighborhood elementary school has been enriching, rewarding, and sweet. We’ve all made so many great friends and connections — which is amazing given that she started as a pandemic kindergartner doing classes online at age five.

Here’s Miss O’s poem. I’ll just sit off to the side with a box of tissues while you read it… 🙂

I am from
love
from
patience
and
kindness

I am from the
grass in the backyard
crisp
fresh
always green

I am from
The purple flowers down the block
Lavender-colored and
filled with
sweet honey

I am from
Christmas eve
in church
singing
and holding candles up to the sky

And doing
crazy things
just because we
feel like it
from going on
adventures
and celebrating holidays

I’m from the place
where there is always
good food
and where
projects
are our love language

From “Miss O, can you go help your brother?”
and
“When I’m gone do this list of 3,000 chores!”

I’m from
Rainy days with
Puddling jumping
Hot chocolate
Heated blankets
Movies
And love

I’m from
A chill neighborhood
In Seattle

And
Fresh baked
Cookies
And ice cream

(featured photo is Miss O on her first day of Kindergarten and last week)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

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11 thoughts on “Where I’m From

  1. Sorry I’m late, I had to get another Kleenex. That is just awesome! This girl knows who she is, she will do well in life with such a solid start. Well done, Mom!!

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  2. Holy cow! What a talent. Your visionary child with the gift of words and heart. There is a genius in Seattle.

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  3. Oh my…. if she’s writing like this now can you imagine with a few more years under her belt? Wonderful. Bravo Miss O and… bravo Mom for raising such a bright girl.

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  4. Excellent poem, Miss O. I love its breadth, depth and detailed understanding of individual identity. The teacher in me, Wynne, would like to talk to her about what she means by some of those sentences – to explore how well she can express her understanding, thoughts and feelings to a deeper level.

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  5. This is beautiful! It is such a tender portrait of childhood, love, and home woven into everyday moments.
    Miss O has a gift for seeing the heart in the ordinary and it goes without saying, that she has a way with words!

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  6. Oh my goodness! From a 5th grader!! You may have already done this, but you may want to frame this, and place it in a spot you can read it every morning to fill your day up with joy!! 💗💗💗 What an absolutely beautiful childhood you have given your children Wynne!

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