Gretchen Hayward Sousa’s poem in honor of my 40th Birthday…

amyofhearthridge

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Morning Psalms

Say my heart gallivants with gratitude

as I awake to another day

where You improvise the story of my life.

Suppose I’m looking raggedy,

my body an heirloom,

soon relegated to the attic,

out of practice in the art of loving.

 

Say Jesus is a Forest Ranger

in a wide-brimmed hat – and I,

feeling lost, ask where do I go from here?

He reaches into a pocket, holds out

a compass. Must I find my own way?

It ticks, no – thumps. Stunned,

my eyes connect with his.

 

You conjure up rain,

shaking the leaves like tambourines,

pelting the rooftops. I, dry as a wishbone,

relish the sound as if it were

your heartbeat. Coffee in hand

I nestle back in bed – listening

as the thrum ignites the silence.

Say You are that fire and rain

in which I live and move and have my being.

 

The Soul’s Habitation, p. 77

 

{Today is my 40th birthday. I can’t say exactly why I love this poem, why it feels just perfect for this milestone birthday…it feels too intimate to try and explain. I didn’t think this birthday would mean as much to me, or that I’d feel all the feels. But it does. The biggest emotion swelling in my heart is a profound gratitude for these 40 years of life. My greatest gifts are my relationships with my husband, children, friends, family and  faithful, precious Jesus. All the rest, the natural beauty I’m surrounded by, the shelves of pages to be turned, and the little glimpses of light and joy are just the buttercream on this rich, chocolate-y cake of life. I’m so thankful.}

~

10 thoughts on “Gretchen Hayward Sousa’s poem in honor of my 40th Birthday…”

  1. Happy birthday! Marking 40 is special. It’s great that you’ve thought about and shared it with us. Comparing life to chocolate cake with luscious frosting is brilliant! This chocoholic never thought of that. Of course, being God’s child and walking with Him through life is the most important thing, and we know you live that daily. Happy, happy BLESSED birthday!

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  3. A very Happy Birthday to you, Amy!
    I love the ‘gallivants with gratitude’ – what a unique way of expression; also, ‘ Suppose I’m looking raggedy,
    my body an heirloom…’
    I can relate to that. 🙂

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