Trusting

I passed
this small fall before
and now here I am again
in the darkening night,
the stream still flowing and talking,
still breaking and bubbling white
and will be all through the night
though none sees or hears,
the rock cradling the brown waters
as they hang smooth as beer
then fall laughing and frothing
over its bony arm.

In another place
the dark is hiding
the soft contours of my children’s faces
blown by sleep,
breathing the seconds of the night
as they pool in dreams
then rush sparkling away.
And I must trust
this flow will not fail
though I do not watch or wait,
held by arms I cannot see,
carrying secret memories.

Today

Welcome to the gift of today.
This is a day unlike all others and when gone
it cannot be retrieved.

This is a day when I can hold the interface
between change and routine.
This is a day breathed by God who shines
in all its possibilities. This is a new day.

This is a day to leave behind the regrets of yesterday
and start again, fresh and absorbed by hope.
This is a day for me to make my own.

Today I can choose to not just see the grey,
to not let busyness cram every corner
or boredom kill my creativity.
Today I can notice all the blessings that lap at my shore,
or look for opportunities to quietly bless others.

I can count the smiles, see the ever-changing shapes
between leaf and tree, between earth and sky
and as I see them, they are mine and can enlarge my soul.

And even if today holds great pain
or the death of those most precious,
there are gentle hands to hold me
and carry me through to tomorrow.