BE THANKFUL
for the wife
who says it's hot dogs tonight,
because she is home with you,
and not out with someone else;
for the husband
who is on the sofa,
being a couch potato,
because he is home with you,
and not out at the bars;
for the teenager
who is complaining about doing dishes,
because she is at home,
not on the streets;
for the taxes you pay
because it means
you are employed;
for the mess to clean after a party
because it means you have
been surrounded by friends;
for the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means
you have enough to eat;
for the shadow that watches you work
because it means
you are out in the sunshine;
for the lawn that needs mowing,
windows that need cleaning,
and gutters that need fixing
because it means you have a home;
for the pile of laundry and ironing
because it means
you have clothes to wear;
for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means you have been
capable of working hard;
for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means
YOU are alive.
-deborah-