"Just when you give up

the whole process begins again

and you are as pure as if you had confessed

and received absolution.

You have done nothing to deserve it,

you have merely slept

and got up again,

feeling fine because the morning is fine;

sufficient reason surely

for faith in a process

that can perform such miracles

without assistance from you.

Imagine what it would do with a little assistance from you! "

--Nissim Ezekiel

TO MY CHILD
Just for this morning,
I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning,
I will let you choose what you want to wear,
and smile and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning,
I am going to step over the laundry and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning,
I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon,
I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off,
and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon,
I will not yell once,
not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck,
and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon,
I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up,
or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon,
I will let you help me bake cookies,
and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon,
I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.......
Just for this evening,
I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born
and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late
while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours,
and miss my favourite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray,
I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms.
The mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly and screaming inside that little body
And when I kiss you goodnight I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing more,