Worthwhile

Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for deciding human life was a good idea,
and for the total helplessness
of an infant,
causing mother and child to turn
toward each other over and over,
a hundred times
and then a hundred more.

Blessed are You
for giving us courage,
the desire to survive
and—even more so—to thrive,
to persist in the relationships
that continually test
and sustain us.

Blessed are You
for giving us courage
to believe in one another:
I am worthwhile, worth stillness.
You are worthwhile, worth time.
We are worthwhile, worth effort.

Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for giving us courage
to act, or to be still,
to affirm our own dignity
and the dignity of another,
gifting us the intimacy
You created us for,
eternal turning
toward each other,
seeing and being seen.