A poem I wrote for my child. My advice for 2019.

Savor - Take time to taste.

Don’t waste in your haste.

Find joy in each bite.

Hope - When the present seems stark,

when the night is deep dark,

cling to the light.

Balance - the beauty and pain.

Value tide’s flow and moon’s wane.

They each have a place.

Look - See the details in art.

Watch the supporting actor’s part.

In the crowd, see a face.

Trust - but with wide-open eyes

to see the disguise.

And know when to fall.

Write - your thoughts and your prayers,

your trysts and your tears.

Remember it all.

Listen - to the barn owl’s cry

and the homeless man’s sigh.

Hear what’s unsaid.

Live - as if loved ones were dying,

and as if by your trying

you can soften their dread.

Pray - Turn to the God

Who made you from clod

and let Him share your story.

Praise - from the depths and the heights,

facing pain or delight,

Live it all for His glory.