LISA I knew you as a child As only a cousin could Young, but not young at all Delicate, but certainly not fragile Innocent, but knowing Knowing too much at times Life threw you curves Sometimes you could duck Other times, as much as you Wanted to, you could not But survive you did With determination And a will all your own I watched you grow with pride I ached at your sorrows Rejoiced when you triumphed I saw our littlest one grow up Our littlest cousin no longer little A beautiful young woman making choices And decisions that shaped her future You look forward and never back And now with what lies before you Looking back is not nearly as interesting As looking ahead You have someone you love To share things with To be with you always A child of your own that you love Without hesitation and who loves you The same way With the one you love, he brings more Children for you to love