Somewhere in this morning’s dawning
there should be a warning of some sort,
a caution of how important it is
to walk in peace and wisdom,
to consider others above oneself,
to believe that even yet
there is goodness and decency in the world
but not so much that a bit more
would not be needed even if unnoticed.

Somewhere in this day’s moving toward noon
there should be a reminder of some sort,
that speaking too soon
may not be much worse
than speaking too late
but neither is nearly as good
as saying the right thing
at the right time
and how good it is to find that fine moment.

Somewhere in this day’s fading sun,
it would be good to look back
at what one has done
and see some additional bit of good
that has come
from the seeking of wisdom and peace,
from doing good to the least of these
who are also family of the Lord
and precious in his sight.

Somewhere in this day’s turning to night,
there should be a grateful counting
of both challenge and blessing,
a grateful confession
that all that is good is given by grace,
that nothing that was faced was faced alone,
and that even though this world is not our home
we will have to own how we have walked through it
and that it, too, is one of the things

that we ought to leave better than we found them.

H. Arnett
5/15/17