This seems a good time to have a conversation with you,
A looking back with thankfulness
and a peering into the future with hope;
But mostly,
Now I come to think of it,
An awareness that I must do one day at a time
The Present.
In the Present I must find myself present:
Not secretly longing for the Past,
Nor escaping into the Future,
But plodding along in the Now.
Now that is the trouble, Gracious God,
That word, ‘plodding’.
Let me try again:
Skipping? If only I still could, (past longings)
Running? Towards the future, escape again.
No! Savouring! Tasting what you have offered,
Taking time with conversations,
With silence,
Sitting,
Cooking,
Preparing
All the ordinary things,
But in the Present.
A new year, not simply one day at a time,
But each moment:
Even as I write this-
As I imagine the people who may pray it,
As I enjoy this conversation with You,
Give me the wisdom to savour each moment
To be patient and to hold out my hand
To grasp yours
That, in journeying together,
My Now may blend into your timelessness
Your promise of Eternity.
Amen
Hazel Parsons
Reading: Hebrews1:10–2:4
SthF 684: Here on the threshold
