Now and Then

Now and Then

When our babies are born and shortly thereafter, they are our angels, wings and all.
How could that little puckered mouth ever, ever call
Some other an ugly name? Or those precious hands ever hurt another soul?
Well, we just wait and see, hoping for the best. It's all put on hold.

Sometimes in about 18 years, you start to wonder, "Who is this child?"
I never saw this child before. Maybe somehow I mis-dialed.
Maybe there was a mixup at the hospital and we brought the wrong baby home.
It's a harried time, as a rule, and no matter who's there, you still feel alone.

Later when you've all survived that, you usually get another whack
At doing this thing right. Some more little babies. What track
Will they take? You are the destination caller. You announce each stop and what it is.
But - as before - you can only call the stop and the time. 'Tis the way it is.

Our babies grow up and have their own babies then we get to enjoy another little one,
With all the troubles, joys, work and wonder, and a lot of having fun.
But, as in my case, the next generation will likely be beyond your reach now.
We can only enjoy them by proxy. You love them just as much, but it's different somehow.

And if we lived to see five more generations generated, the distance would be
Growing from year to year, 'cause that's life. Most would agree.
Maybe God didn't intend us to live to be completely written out
Of our line of descendents. If you live to experience three, there's no doubt

You're luckier than some. Throughout our lifetime, time goes marching on.
We accept, as best we can, the scenario that we and life have created. The seeds we've sown
Begin to live again. You can't hang around forever. There is a finite plan.
When we've had our last great grandchild, we've outlived our usefulness in that place.

If you live long, you know there are many varied chapters to be lived.
Very different chapters in your book of life. The longer you live,
The longer will be your recorded days and years, but one thing is for sure:
No two chapters will ever be the same, and you may never arrive at 100 percent pure.

It seems ironic that "now" and "then" repeat themselves to some degree.
But when we bow out, our only remaining influence will be
The values and love that were lived and handed down and may never die.
And that's a universal truth you can't deny - and you can't defy

Please, God, give us courage to hold steady and true from chapter one
To the end, wherever that may be. Give us strength the let go when our days are done.
We'll watch the cycles manifest henceforth from the other side.
We fulfill our assignment here and then comes the journey across the chasm wide.