A Prayer

When I want to pray
and have nothing to say,
sitting in an empty room
uneasy with nowhere to go;
my thoughts wander through the
forest of my life, leaving
footprints in the snow.

As a bed of crocuses gives color
to the black and white,
so a past filled with memories
gives passion to my life.

God’s blessings of special people
shaped where I should go
as I wandered though the forest
leaving footprints in the snow.

My persistence in pursuing
an education and degrees
like pine trees ever green
in that forest of memories.

The people who were there
when I needed them,
trail markers for me to follow
through the forest of my life.

When that trail was hard
causing pain and strife
I was blessed with loving people
helping me though that forest
which was my life.

Feeling God was with me
when I became the helper,
setting me on the path
that leads to a better life.

Then I know what my prayer
must be as I sit in that empty room.
Thank you God for all you’ve done,
without you I could never have traveled
through the forest
leaving footprints in the snow.

Paul J. Wolf 2/24/11