Main Street

Checking for atypical movement

I peer through the window

of the jogging stroller

to see skinny little legs

bouncing with each bump

as we propel onwards

my legs pumping

I am the best seizure monitor

currently available

and I am running fast

from my fear of loving

through an aching

fear of losing

I am running

into a love that reverberates

through my body

shaking and alive

a love that demands

attention

and acceptance

endorphins and

I hope, endurance

I am running for this love

that expounds

each step:

Live

Each

Stride

Courageously.

Find the footsteps

of the beings

we now must become

About this poem: This poem is about moving through fear, finding the courage to love unconditionally, and becoming a new version of myself through it all. I do most my emotional processing (and poetry writing!) while running. This year I had the opportunity to run in the Falmouth Road Race with the Courageous Parents Network (CPN). Training for and running with with the CPN team this year has been an act of acceptance, resiliency, and most of all, thanks. I am embracing this new, and sometimes scary, journey. I am building strength and fortitude, despite the aches and pains, in both running and parenting. Mostly, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to give back to CPN. This non-profit is an awesome resource and trusted network of wholehearted individuals who also know the soul-expanding challenges of parenting medically complex children. With others in the Courageous Parents Network, my husband and I have found a space to share, listen, and grow. With CPN, we were not alone. Together we named the unnamable pain and embraced the depths of joy. Thank you CPN, for cultivating this community of lionhearted moms and dads.