Surprise Package

As a child, surprise parties, the few I’ve experienced, were at best unsettling, at worst, ill-timed.

The surprise gift that my Third Age has become for me has turned out to be an unexpected wonder; opening the gift one day at a time, with each early morning light, when I sometimes remember to thank my body that  I am still able to stand,

the gift reveals itself  as I watch the day unfold.

The operating instructions have come from beloved partner,our children,  dearest companions, parents, and grandparents.

as I slowly advance my place of waiting in line at the edge of the high dive.

That wait enriches, instructs, and fills the depths of me with gratitude.