Here and There I Am

Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for anticipation—
groom in shiny, toe-pinching shoes,
watching the sanctuary doorway.
Bread in the oven,
first crocus about to bloom,
waiting for grandma’s visit.

Blessed are You for memories—
wreaths on the necks of brown cows in Switzerland,
playing an evening game of soccer in Belize,
lighting bugs in Oklahoma,
backpacking through snow to natural hot springs,
holding purple shore crabs by Oregon tide pools.

Blessed are You for creating me to enjoy—
memories of the past,
scenery and scent of the present,
and the possibility of my future.
Your eternal nature allows me the pleasure
of what is already done,
what is now,
and what is yet to be,
for You are not contained in one reality,
and as Your child, neither am I.