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C.J. Heck's avatar

Jane Deegan, thank you for the restack. I'm so pleased you enjoyed the poem.

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♏️Seer's avatar

CJ👁SEER this strikes my heart❤️ in disbelief & truly cores how Spirit works😶‍🌫️--I have 3-three daughters that grew from home & a stepdaughter remote also!--and FULL-CIRCLE was going to be our band name yrs ago!--Then, 3-yrs ago while caring for my youngest born grandson, it was thru ELMO & SESAME STREET with SHAPES◼️ COLORS🟣 & NUMBERS9️⃣ that Spirit showed me ANCIENT FADIC ENERGY & showed me the TIME 666-SIX--I was given the KEYS🗝 to TIME⌛️ thru grandson Kiran means RAY OF LIGHT....My girls were on the same stage... in the same shoes.💗 My Momma has been gone now for 24-yrs💧💧💧....I cannot say enough how little TIME we have left here....HOLD EACH🫂OTHER CLOSELY...WE WILL NEVER HAVE THIS TIME AGAIN.🩷❤️💜

THANK YOU♏️

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

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C.J. Heck's avatar

SEER, thank you so much for your heartfelt comments and for restacking “Full Circle”. I appreciate your support.

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♏️Seer's avatar

Ohh C.J. it's just all about how you weave your stories of family life & love--your writing is authentic & soo connecting.💜🙏

P.S. My husband & I would sit on Substack reading all day!🩷

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C.J. Heck's avatar

That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me, Seer. Thank you so very much. 💕❤️😍😊

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Mary Angela Sheridan's avatar

"Full Circle" is a charming poem.

"The truth is in the mirror... and the eyes."

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Mary Angela --I'm so pleased you enjoyed the poem.

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Diana van Eyk's avatar

A wonderful poem -- and a great picture too.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Diana. I'm happy you liked the picture and poem!

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Mercy Falling's avatar

Very nice.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Mercy.

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Sharon Hudson's avatar

Oh, C.J. !! You have captured the magic in being the mother of a girl, watching her turn from toddler to tee, and finally to woman, who remembers the magic of a mother who made their world magic, as they grew to be like you. 🦋

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Those were the magical days. I loved being the mother of girls. It sounds like you did, too.

Those three of mine grew up to give me eleven (yes 11) grandchildren. My youngest once said it was my doing —I made being a mother look like such fun. 😂🤣😊😂😁

Thank you for your delightful comments, Sharon!

💕❤️

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Paul Wittenberger's avatar

I’m a Dad, CJ, but your poem brought back memories of our daughter, trying on some grown-up life. Thank you!

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Awww, that’s so sweet to have that memory as a Dad, Paul. Thank you for sharing and for restacking the post.

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Connie J. Casella's avatar

Love it! I love the rhymes!

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you so much, Connie!

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Dave Williams's avatar

Wonderful!

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Dave, and thanks, too, for the restack. 💕

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Hi C.J, Oh, the imagination of a child opens portals to other worlds — and, again when we are adults. creative consciousness at work and play. 😊 🙏 💙

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Hello Simone! Did you used to play dress up in Mommy’s clothes?

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Hey C.J, Yes, Mum had a box of old clothes, though being a tomboy, I was always a dressing as a cowgirl — and still do 🤣. I wasn't into makeup — still not 🤣. I do like a scarf and beads though — and love a hat. My nieces used to play dress ups with my mother when they stayed there as children — they had a lot of fun playing dress ups with Nanny. 🥰

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C.J. Heck's avatar

That’s such a big part of a little girl’s childhood —pretending to be Mommy. I”ve enjoyed our talk! 💕❤️😍

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Simone Senisin's avatar

I always enjoy our chats C.J 🥰

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C.J. Heck's avatar

😊❤️💕

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

Beautiful poem. Raising my daughter (or did she raise me) was the best time in my life. Now I get to watch her wrangle her rambunctious son and daughter and how she enjoys just about every minute of the mayhem. Parenting is hard and kicks the sap out of you sometimes, but goodness, looking back ... it was a helluva lot of fun.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Sue. I’m happy you like the poem. (like you, I think they raised us)

It was the best time of my life and the best job I ever had —the one attribute of my life I’m most proud of, too.

I must have made motherhood look like fun, because my three gave me a total of eleven grandchildren!

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

So very sweet, I can definitely relate.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Kathleen! You loved playing dress up, too!

Thank you for the restack! 😊💕

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

C. J., It was actually my daughters that like to play dress up. I doubt I would wanna put the nuns habits on in the orphanage. God only knows what would happen to me if I did that.😂

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C.J. Heck's avatar

I’m sorry to have assumed that, Kathleen. My apologies. I’m glad your daughters dressed up. We all need to experience it one way or another. It’s fun to watch!

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

No need to apologize❤️

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you —you’re very gracious.

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Jo-Ann Petrarca's avatar

😹

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C.J. Heck's avatar

😁💕

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

I agree 100%

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

C.J., that' s a beautiful and wonderfully constructed poem. My wife and I raised two sons, and I chuckled at how different it is. First and foremost I remember reading, reading, reading to them; always at bedtime, but often after vigorous playtime in the park. They were both fans of STAR WARS as was there devoted dad, so we were on the floor with the figures and playsets. Oh, and Legos....all over the place and building boats and rocket ships and ....yes, Star Wars kits. More than anything, I loved reading to them in bed and the snuggling and the hugs and swimming and throwing them in the water. Thank God, we still hug and love along with my wonderful wife and grandkids.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you for your kind words about my poem, Sandy. Like you and your boys, my girls and I had our bedtime stories every night, too. After a while, it became one of, “Mama, will you invent a story for us tonight?” So every night I told the story, adding to it each night and a children’s book was born. Then we ‘invented’ another and another. In between, we read their favorites from the bookcase!

It is different raising boys vs. girls! I remember my 3 brothers were into G.I. Joe and cowboys and indians. My 9 grandsons were duplicates of your boys: Legos, anything Star Wars, and matchbox cars!

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

Yup! Matchbox cars (along with all the StarWars and G.I. Joe figures and vehicles. I still have a few on our sun porch. My older son, Gary, has this fantastic room in his house with all the figures and vehicle in beautiful glass cases. It must be worth a fortune.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Gary is a smart man! What he’s doing with his glass cases is better than the stock market for amassing some riches. Good for him!

Were your boys into riding Big Wheels? My three daughters and all my grandkids were. Looked like so much fun, I always wished they manufactured them for grownups, too!

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

Both my boys went through stages of big wheels before they were ready for two-wheelers. I remember holding them both upright by the saddle and runnning next to them when they learned to ride a bike.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Sandy, what would we do without our memories? They warm the heart. I’ve enjoyed our conversation very much today.

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

I think that boys tend to be collectors more than girls. Although my granddaughters went through stages of collecting "My Little Pony," and BabySitter Club books which Grandpa dutifully read to them. I also read loads of children's lit: E. Nesbit, Eleanor Estes, Kenneth Grahame, Lewis Carroll, etc. Then they moved to Manga and made me read two titles: "One Piece," and another one about superheroes competing in an olympic like tournament. What did your girls like to read.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Oh my, Cabbage Patch Dolls and My Little Kitty items were so big then. I think My Little Pony came out after mine were past that age. Books: poets were Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, Nancy Drew books, Bobbsey Twins, the Ramona series, Chronicles of Narnia, The Neverending Story. I’m going by memory and I’m not sure of some of the titles (My girls are 48, 50, and 52 now). I know once we started going to the library every week, they read anything they could get their hands on. 🤣😂 Old Yeller, The Yearling, etc.

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

Isn't it spooky as our children move up into ages that WE thought were old when we reached them? By the way, THE YEARLING was one of my favorite books and I read it over and over.

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Harley King's avatar

Lovely poem.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Harley, bless your heart, thank you. Thank you, too for the restack!

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Harley King's avatar

It reminded me of the Harry Chapin song, Cat's in the Cradle.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you —I hope that’s a good thing, Harley! 😊💕

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you for the restack, Robert! 💋💋💋

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you for the restacking, Petrena. I'm so pleased you enjoyed the poem --5 girls? Oh my! And I thought I had my hands full! They are so much fun though and once they're grown up, they are our best friends.

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