It’s the Christmas season
and I’m in Fairfax, Va.
with family,
with Abby and Califf,
young cousins,
great kids.

Califf is 9, and Abby is 7.
No longer little kids,
Still playful, still growing,
Still smart.

Abby loves to paint and color,
Califf loves to play video games
and do his Ipad.
They both love their parents
and stepparents
and grandparents
and great grandmother.

Soccer is their game,
and girl and boy scouts
their main,
other non-school,
non-family activity.

Califf wants to make videos
for youtube and sing
when he grows up,
and Abby wants to be
a teacher in the classroom.

I used to be a kid once,
a long time ago–
60 or so years.

I was also a scout,
but not an artist,
no video games existed,
and soccer was not
the game it is now.

For me it was baseball,
basketball and football.
Eventually basketball as
my main sport,
and finally
long-distance biking
in my older years.

I also am still playful,
still growing (my mind
and my heart),
still smart, it seems.

I also like
Christmas and time
with family,
as is happening now,
and, for me,
remembering Jesus.

Califf and Abby
may be much younger,
but there are many things
we share in common.

And we are good friends.