Acting not Reacting

Eyes squinted and face hardened 
Fingers twist into fists, his arms encompass himself as he stuffs his words
And he holds himself there
Emotions overtaking reason and right
Angry, Hurt
Captive

Eyes fill with salty tears that stream hot across her reddened cheeks
Words come out staccato as she buries her head in my lap
And she looses herself there
Emotions overriding logic and sense
Dramatic, Grieved
Jailed

Growing up is emotional
But life doesn't get less emotional just because you grow up...
I may not twist my fingers into fists, cross my arms or bury my head to cry
Then again...

So I'm taller and more experienced
But I fall captive to my emotions too
There are a lot of adults who are just simply, taller
I don't want to be that kind of adult
Or raise those kind of adults

I don't want to be tongue tied with anger, or walled up in a jail of emotion
I don't want to react in the moment
I want to ACT with intention
And maybe that's the difference between growing up and just growing taller
Learning how to act - in spite of emotion
Coping and expressing
Speaking through anger into a place of peace
Asking for forgiveness
Crying tears of joy, repentance, and renewal
Choosing to look up instead of inside
Giving when taking would be easier
Living purposefully
Forgiving and forgetting
Relying on Someone bigger than myself, bigger than my emotions
Acting not Reacting

So in his defiant anger I'll hold him tight and wait patiently for the words to come
As she cries I'll stroke her hair, listening to the whys and dry her tears
And we'll learn together how to tear down the bars of emotion that hold us captive
How to live intentionally acting instead of reacting