Fading Gifts

There were some things I took for granted in the early years

whether it was a new and sunny day,

my kids running out to play,

night after night scrambling to make a big meal,

and then “whose turn is it to do the dishes – for real?”

There were days I took for granted and now sometimes miss,

like wild mornings, packing lunches, someone’s panties always in a twist.

Who was I? …How did I not know…

that each precious gift was streaming down

from the Father who never shifts.

And now in a season that blew in too quickly.

I search for those good and perfect gifts

I ask,

“God, what happened? Where are my treasures?”

And I’d hear a whisper deep inside

“All of the gifts?

I am giving thee…

they’re still streaming down.

Take another look and see.

Do you see the color of the sky?

Can you hear the birds…their singing?

Dawn is breaking every single morn.

Breathe now…let go those thoughts forlorn.

Touch what is real.

Feel the dirt beneath your feet,

hand to heart – can you feel it beat?

You are living now, don’t dare miss it.

Your memories are a gift to honor a season

but living only in the past can lull you to sleeping.

Notice the restless sigh from your waiting and patient pup…

he is thinking,

“you still taking your sweet time with that big o coffee cup?”

Don’t miss out on these small things. Nothing on this earth is forever.

Be present.

What is frustrating you now, you may soon treasure.

Feel the texture of an elderly hand,

years of wisdom and stories they have spanned

What about:

that strong arm around your shoulder?

It’s still there; you both have grown older.

A phone call from your adult child?

A cold day turning beautifully mild?

So do you see? Are you aware…

that every good and perfect gift I share?

The treasures you have now, may look different one day.

Breathe them in – press them onto your heart.

Enjoy these gifts now before they fade and the new ones start.

James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”.