A poem for my grandson on the occasion of his birth...

I hope you have a long and easy road
I hope you don't bear too heavy a load
Struggles and hurts will make you strong
But I hope the pain never lasts too long

I hope you live surrounded by care
With family and friends who are always there
I hope you find a purpose to do
And in pursuing it, you find meaning too

I hope that you give peace a chance
And reject the path of violence
I hope you never go to war
Or blindly obey without asking what for

I hope you live life with a gentle touch
And never worry or stress to much
I hope you find a partner that's true
Like your parents did, and I did too

I wish that I could see it all through:
The amazing life that's ahead of you
But I'll only get to catch a slice
Before I'm finished with my own life

So try to leave the world a better place
Try to be an agent of grace
Try to consider others as valuable as you
Because someone had loving hopes for them too

But most of all, I hope you know
That you came from love, and to love you will go
Love will always follow you
And love will always see you through.
 

 Any day now I'm expecting to hear "Christian" right-wing pundits begin making the claim that sexually exploiting teenaged girls is Biblical.  💩