I give thanks

I give thanks

For fluff-clouds on water-blue skies.

The stern majesty of thunderheads,

Lyrical spring flowers

And the moving of the air in mighty winds.

I give thanks for water:

Running, leaping, dancing in sunlight,

A merriment of streams,

Mirror-magic lakes,

Seas that stretch beyond my ken,

Calling the pilgrim soul.

I give thanks for food:

Lushness of strawberries,

Subtlety of spices,

The first fruits of the season and the last,

The joy of bread,

The meats that satisfy

And the smooth of chocolate on the tongue.

I give thanks for life:

For the steadiness of breath and the readiness of tears,

For the music of birds and of laughter

And the gaiety of ducks,

For the touch of human hands

And the kind smile of the stranger,

For the wisdom learned through heartbreak

And the words that change our souls,

For poetry and story and imagination’s leap.

I give thanks for hope:

For the stars that light the darkness

And the cross

Whose darkness lights the world.

For the incoming Kingdom that sprouts

One mustard seed at a time.

For the courage we call faith

And the faith that we call courage.

I give thanks for love:

In spite of everything.

Love.