As we approach the Year's end

As the year's final sands fall swiftly
through the narrow hip of the glass,
teasing me that they are speeding up:
Let me find a wayside bench where I can rest and reflect-
just a few seconds for each month of the year past.
Let me feel again the heart moment that mattered most.
Let me think back to before the problem was solved, the decision made.
Let me recall the faces and voices that meant much, that cared for me,
drew me on, restrained me with love.
Let me be grateful for those who, by giving me some unwittingly difficult word,
wounded and saved me.
Let me remember the places where good things happened,
where there was refreshment, delight and social joy.
Let me recall treats and feasts, visits and encounters.
Let me recall where radiance was.
Let me be grateful for the good days, the good people, the good times.
Let me visit once more the shadows and shades of sad or benighted minutes and days,
the hours when purpose was eclipsed,
the moments where I met hostility with fear,
where uncertainty made me anxious,
when I took the opportunity for the cruel look, the self-indulgent feeling,
the times when it was my sin that spoke.
Let me fly back over the months, hovering where I should,
pinpointing grace and disgrace,
joy and woe,
occasions where I have done well or let myself down.
And all this not for the sake of the past alone,
though it deserves is proportionate honour or shame,
but for the joy of the present yet to come.
(From the book Barefoot Ways by Stephen Cherry).