i long to lay hands
on my loved one
lying in the hospital bed,
and seeing them get up and walk,
healed and restored:
but you call me
to sit by their bed
and hold their hand
during the sleepless night.

i would give almost anything
to make a paste out of dirt and spit,
and to rub it on the eyes
of my neighbor who is sightlyess
and witness her joy
at seeing a sunrise for the first time:
but you call me
to read a book
with a child
who stumbles over the words.

i would like to win the lottery
so i could give the money away
and improve the lives
of all those people
saturated with poverty:
but you call me
to help frame walls
for a Habitat family.
may i take all the ordinary gifts
you have give me,
Exuberant God,
and use them
where you send me.
Amen.

(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman