Day 7: Attitude of Gratitude

While I Said My Prayers

by Hillary Calaway

My heart beats perfectly over 100,000 times a day,

2 million working parts in my eye coordinate without delay

200 muscles are employed for every step I gain

By nerves 170 mph pulses travel to my brain

Did any of this occur to me

while I said my morning prayers?

Or was I more concerned about

sharing with the Lord my cares.

Everyday my body produces 300 billion cells

And my nose alone recalls 50,000 different smells

The thigh bones that I use to walk are stronger than concrete

In 24 hours 23,040 breaths my lungs complete.

But did this enter in my mind

while I said my morning prayers?

Or do I as the hypocrite

Tritely put on airs.

3 bones the size of a penny help me to hear sound

While 43 muscles collaborate to pull off a single frown

10,000 taste buds on my tongue let me savor food

Red blood cells last for 120 days after they debut.

So why did none of this come up

while I said my morning prayers?

Perhaps with God my focus has drifted

from maintenance to repairs.

How fragile are the tabernacles

that house our spirits here

And how quickly I've forgotten

that it all can disappear.

Our days on earth are numbered

and time keeps ebbing on

May I be less guilty of ingratitude

with every passing dawn.

Today I am most thankful for my body and the one that's still growing inside of me. I hope you have a terrific weekend and enjoy the body you've been given regardless of its perceived flaws. I've been reminded that they are a gift, and not a given.