A Mother's Gift

What is this You have given me?

Two cubs who can't speak

One can't crawl

Or suckle

One can't hear

Nor understand

What is this You have given my hands?

Babes to nurture

One screams at my touch

The other covers his ears

at the sound of my voice

What is this You have charged to my heart?

A child whose body is weak

and who can't run in the sun

Lord, Lord But I

Thank you for these my gifts

For without them I couldn't

Know strength without fear

Love without sound

Compassion expressed without touch

Understanding without knowledge

Love in the most complex of ways

Lord Thank you for these my gifts

If not for them

I would not know how to talk

Without speaking

How to comfort without tradition

How to soothe beyond my known skills

How to learn without being taught

How to show love by example

How to see what hasn't yet appeared

Thank you God for my gifts!

They are beautiful to me

-sj