The View from Here

I thought to myself-

In a world full of cruelty and fear,

what is there to be grateful for?

My heart sighed and whispered countless things;

the gift of being alive,

a smile born of kindness,

the feel of my lover’s hand in mine,

sunrise and sunset,

beginnings and endings,

a safe and loving home,

beauty found in unexpected places,

the devotion of animals,

friendship,

thunderstorms, clear blue skies,

the endless power of love.

And on and on and on.

A litany of wonder large and small.

Gratitude is my religion,

and when I embrace it

I see the world as a place of hope and possibilities,

and fear cowers,

shrinking away into the abyss.