November 29th

“He will again have compassion upon us;
     he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
     into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19

yes,
you remember every tiny sparrow
struggling to use its wings,
and while you could choose
to remember all the stony words
we spoke in the past, you gather them up,
crushing them to become paths
which lead others to your home.
you place your hands around
our fists clenched tight with
all our foolish choices and acts,
whispering the soft syllables of grace
until we simply let go.
then you take us down to the shoreline
where you take each mistake
and skip them across the crystal sea,
laughing until they sink beneath
the waves of your compassion,
and as you place your hand
on our slumping shoulders,
you point to the sun
coming over the horizon,
and we splash barefoot
into your love which,
like waves of the ocean,
never stops coming back.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman