Delay delay make this stop here longer

Dear Friend, Beloved God, don't halt our joy.
With age has come gentleness,
and the smells of fall that
round off the sharp edges.
Leave us here
for as long as you will.
We submit to your authority,
while begging unceasingly for lenience extensions.
We focus on gratitude thanksgiving
and prize our days with tenacious exuberance.

You are eternal unceasing- we fall with the seasons
crumbling on the sidewalks- ephemeral transient
going on to You when You call us in.

Delay! Delay! make this stop here longer
so we can enjoy the company of the swaying trees and birdsong

Do you have children

Its irresponsible with the state of the environment.
Its deplorable with the lack of resources.

Breeding steadily, we grow and swell
like bacteria in a petri dish
swallowing up everything around us.
we are our own worst pestilence.

And the problems of parenting with their intersecting multiplicities
connect our children to past traumas

                                       (Oh you've overcome all that.  Then leave the rest of us to worry
                                         about healing while you garden and attend important to functions.)

But when sleep is imminent, or on that joyful hike, or a particularly
pleasurable class, I think I forgive myself a little.

God directed us to be fruitful and multiply
God commanded us to be stewards of the earth
And so we continue intrepidly
We parent abundance in the spare aging moments.

peace

Singing thoughts to you transports me
As I move to avoid despair's reach.
Striving for joy and the blessing of peace
As I go home over the lamp lit streets.
Music structures my meditations
As I lift my heart to You with the simple belief
That from you emanates strength and peace.
Drawing closer to hold only your grasp,
You are reaching my reach for Your power with mercy.
Stagnation of energy from which sadness proceeds-
Consecration of time with blissful thanksgiving-
Gift of your love to give cessation of grief-