On Aging

I occurred to me this morning
   as I washed this face of mine,
How quickly come the changes
   with a little passing time.
A wrinkle here, a hair turned gray,
   a not so lilting step.
I see me growing older,
   but I don't quite feel it yet.
At times I nearly feel my age,
   at others I'm sixteen,
So full am I of all the thoughts
   and feelings in between.

Who would have thought the road of life
Would twist and turn so much?
The journey makes me strong and weak and
   tender to the touch.
And so this day I face the choice
   that I have faced each day,
Will I be open? Teachable?
Unafraid of change?
   Yes.

I will embrace the moment.
Forgive my past mistakes.
And remember that just showing up is
   sometimes all it takes.
I'll seek the kind of beauty
   that time cannot erase,
Wisdom and experience resting on my face.

a poem by Amy Grant, from Mosaic - Pieces of My Life So Far