To Give More Than Take

Here is the New Year
and we say goodbye
to the one just past
and we turn with a sigh

To the one straight ahead
To the days yet to see
To the challenges faced
To what we can be

To experiences yet had
To lessons yet learned
To friendships yet made
To pages yet turned

The world is before us
Every second we live
We hope that our actions
Take less than they give

To give more smiles
To give more hope
To give friends an ear
When they struggle to cope

To be seen for the person
We all want to be
To show that our hearts
Are open and free

We must hold to the thought
We are here to assist
We are here to be the friends
That we remember and miss

The ones we hold on to
When memory kicks in
The ones we depend on
When we can't seem to win

That is the person
I strive to be
The one who thinks of others
and not only me.

God, give me the heart and spirit you want me to demonstrate to others. Make this year ahead one I can say you controlled more than I did.