Thank You God for memories
and thank You for hopeful plans.
Thank You for this present moment at hand;
in front of me is my family, gathered in the kitchen.
Behind me is my dog, laying down for a nap.
To my right and left are neighbors, snug in their homes
And all around the world people breathe in and out,
First breaths, last breaths, and one breath of many more to come.
Dear self: let's you and me not waste the present,
But let's me and you rejoice in action.
I can rejoice by caring for my dog,
Appreciating the uniqueness of my family in dialogue
And visiting with a neighbor.
Celebration opens the gift, does it not?
I sense in me this lean of passivity,
And though pondering and waiting has its place
Let me not waste a life
By wasting too many days.
I can move while I ponder, can't I?
