THIS POEM IS FOR MY NEPHEW DEVON

My dear nephew.
You are thirteen today.
You have so much to learn as you go along your way.
You are no longer a child,
but far from being a man.
You are a teenager now,
and you will have a lot of ups and downs.
Going through your teen years
and learning all you can,
will help prepare you for a future life
that's hopeful, good, and sound.
There will be many times
when you won't know what to do,
and think, should I do the things
that some other teenagers do.
It will sometimes be hard to decide
what's good or what's bad,
when listening to your peers.
Just listen to your heart
and your God source within
and you will find the answers
to get you through these years.
You have a good heart and a good mind too.
By using them, you can do anything you want to do.
Make good choices
when you choose your friends
and their support in your life,
you will find will have no end.
You have a lot of love from your family
as you very well know,
and we will stick behind you
no matter where you go.
We will encourage you to use your talents
to be the best person that you can
and know one day, you will look back, and smile with joy
that you made it through those teen years,
when you become a man.

Copyright by Judith Pleasant 7/11/2003