Soapbox

My Living Prayer

It will not be easy.
But it will be
Okay.

Life is worth the fight.
Love is worth it.
I am worth it.

Summer clouds are worth it
The smell of baking cookies is worth it
Laughing ‘til your sides hurt is worth it
Curling up in front of a fire is worth it
The first opening of a new butterfly’s wings is worth it
The connection of singing in harmony is worth it
Crickets under a sky full of stars is worth it
Bright pebbles in a stream are worth it
The sound of rain on a tent is worth it.

Baby goats are worth it
Paint moving through water is worth it
The soft fur on Tucker’s face is worth it
The sound of Ted breathing in sleep is worth it
Easing into a tub of hot, fragrant water is worth it.
The smell of pine trees is worth it
The belly laugh of a baby is worth it
A storm when you’re safe and dry is worth it
A cold night when you’re warm inside is worth it.

My name on an envelope from a friend
The sound of falling snow
Distant lightning illuminating a cloud
The first pink of sunrise
The first bird of the morning
The hallelujah chorus of a pond full of peeper frogs
The roll of distant thunder
Daisies smiling from a roadside ditch
A strawberry, still warm with sunshine

A peach so ripe that the juice runs down your chin
The first page of a new book
The last page of a really good book
Fishing with Grandpa
Sunlight speckles through a sycamore tree onto the water
The first taste of hand-cranked ice cream
Brilliant autumn leaves
A hammock in the shade
The shouts of kids at the beach on a hot day

A heron gliding silently along a river
Evening walks
Spontaneous hugs
The first step in the door when you’ve been long away
Rocking a baby to sleep
Creating something new
A horse running through a field
A difficult job completed
The jelly softness of a puppy’s belly.
Lilacs
Porch swings

The wind in your face
Staying up talking half the night
Sleeping late
That first big stretch of the morning
Seeing seeds you planted sprout
The smell of bacon
The chance to be of service
The touch of skin to skin
The bottom of a small kitten’s paw
The smell of clean sheets hanging in the breeze
A good teacher
The opportunity to teach another
A song that makes you cry
A happy dream of a loved one departed.