Sunday, May 15, 2011

Swiftly Flow the Days, Swiftly Fly the Years






baby Paige


Paige went to prom last night.  Surreal is an overused word, but ask me if I care... It felt surreal on three or four levels.

First of all, prom in Haiti. Who knew?

Second of all, Paige was a little girl a few days ago. 

Third, she.was.just.born.  

Fourth, how can we prevent future sunrises and sunsets and trap her for eternity at sixteen?  Troy has got his fiddle and he's headed to the roof to lament. I will join him the minute I hit publish on this post.

 
Practicing before prom at the Hendrick's house

At 1am driving through the pot-hole filled streets of Port au Prince on our way home from picking Paige up after prom, Troy and I sang our own special rendition of this to Paige while she rolled her eyes:

Fiddler on the Roof
(tevye)
Is this the little girl I carried,
Is this the little boy at play?

(golde)
I don't remember growing older,
When did they?

(tevye)
When did she get to be a beauty,
When did he grow to be so tall?

(golde)
Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

Sunrise, sunset (x2),
Swiftly flow the days.

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as we gaze.

Sunrise, sunset (x2),
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears.