Thank you Lord for giving me a goal… Θ for keeping me warm when I could be cold… Θ for being there when no one else was… Θ for letting me hear the sweet sound of the sax instead of dancing to the drummer’s drums… Θ for letting me work at it when there was no it to work at… Θ for making me a woman strong enough to listen and not lean, flexible enough to bend and not break, humble enough to learn from the unlearned… Θ for letting me know the path which i had to go… Θ for not allowing me to accept what was handed to me but to strive to make life better not only for me, but my comrades on the road… Θ for holding me in the palm of your hand and rebuilding me from my diminished state of scattered sand… Θ for the defeat and despair, which are a part of my life and something that i can bear… Θ for wiping my tears while my hands were busy at my trade… Θ for lightening my heart while the weight of the war was wearing down my shoulder blades… Θ for unshackling my feet from the hands of the world… Θ for my growth into womanhood from a scared, fragile, frightened girl… Θ for having faith in me as I do in you… Θ for breathing breath into Adam and passing your blessings on through… Θ for giving I who have so much less, so very much more… Θ for making us all equal in ability and capability for sure … Θ for making me rich in truth and spirit… Θ for forgiving my sins… Θ for understanding my shortcomings and allowing me to give in… Θ for never making me guess… why I am here Θ for making your name so precious and so very, very dear… Θ for making me like no other, no more and certainly no less… Θ I thank you Lord for making me uniquely me…a child of God…your child… yes… yes… yes! *** This is my thanks for my past, present and future to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! You see, by acknowledging my difference, my diligence, my desires and victory, I came to the realization that am okay with me, regardless of what anyone else thinks! I hope you find the same confidence and peace with who you are and where you are and the struggle that lay before you. We will get there – one step at a time but not a moment sooner! Peace © amanda grihm 2011