Gratitude Poem by Justin Reamer

Dear Lord,

You give me strength in
Everything I do,
And I thank You for everything
You have done for me.
Thank You, Lord,
For giving me life when
I was born,
And for allowing me to take
My first breath,
For I would not be here
Today if You had made
Me like my older brother,
Whom I know not,
But whom I hope is
With You in heaven.
Lord, I thank You for creating
The Universe,
For we would not have
A place to roam
Had you not made it;
We would not be in existence,
Even,
For no human would ever live.
Lord, thank You for making the
Sun that lights up our sky,
For we could not see if You had not made it.
There would be no life
If You had not cast light on the world,
For the plants could not live,
The bacteria could not live,
The algae could not live,
The microbes and insects could not live,
The animals that could eat them
Could not live,
Nor would we humans
Ever live at all without it.

Lord, thank You for my family;
I do not know where I would
Be without them,
For they are my kindred,
And I love them with
All of my heart.
Thank You for my mother,
For she is the one who gave birth to me.
She raised me,
And sacrificed so much for me.
She taught me her values,
And she taught me Your laws,
Which You gave to Moses
In Leviticus,
Gave to Your Son when
He was born,
And which Jesus passed on
To His disciples,
And which You gave to
The Catholic Church
Through Jesus,
Who lives with You forever
Through the Apostles,
St. Peter, St. Paul,
St. James the Greater,
St. James the Less,
St. John,
St. Andrew,
St. Thomas,
St. Bartholomew,
St. Matthew,
St. Simon,
And St. Jude Thaddaeus,
Through the Church Fathers,
St. Justin Martyr,
St. Augustine,
St. Philemon,
St. Titus,
And many more.

To whom passed it on
To all of us.

My mother was there for me
In my times of trouble;
She helped me when I was helpless,
She comforted me when I was sad,
She held me when I was hurt,
She consoled me when I was ambivalent;
She taught me how to read and write;
She taught me how to
Shirk truancy;
She laughed with me
When I was happy;
She protected me from Satan's claws;
She mollified me when I was angry;
She shielded me from abuse;
She provided for me so I
Could live in life;
She taught me altruism;
She nursed me with her milk
From her breast,
Lest I should get sick.
My mother showed me
How to grow,
How to be responsible,
Gain self-sufficiency,
Become independent,
And to be selfless.
She was always there
And I cannot thank her enough,
And I cannot say how
Much a gift she is, Lord,
For she is great to me.

Thank You for my Father, Lord,
For he was the one who conceived
Me by fertilising my egg.
I know he was not a great man,
But if it were not for he,
I would not be here.

Thank You for Elyse, Lord,
For she is a role model
I can look up to
And follow as an example.
She shows me how I can
Work hard to achieve my goals,
And she shows me selflessness
In everything she does.
She is also a wonderful sister,
And I love her with all my heart.

Thank You for Sean, Lord,
For he is a great brother.
He may be selfish,
But if it were not for him,
I would never have learned patience.
I also love to talk to him,
Man to man,
Brother to brother,
Friend to friend,
In a way that is more intimate
Than any other male friend
That I have,
For I know I can rely on
Sean with my life,
Despite his weaknesses,
And he on me,
Despite my flaws,
For we are reliable on each other.
I love him with all my heart.

Thank You, Lord,
For Stefanie,
For she has helped me
Learn how to be a mentor,
A father, and a brother,
And a teacher.
If it weren't for her,
I would never know
Filial love.
I love her with all my heart.

Thank You, Lord,
For the clean water I drink,
For I would have died of thirst
If it were not for Your blessing,
And thank You for the food I eat,
For I would have starved to death
Had You not provided for me.

Thank You, Lord,
For my education
For I have learned so much,
And i have gained wisdom
Through Your guidance
And Your care.
Thank You for the shelter I live in,
For I would have died
Of hypothermia long ago
If not for You.

Thank You for the clothes I wear on my back,
For they keep me warm;
Thank You for my bed and blankets,
So I may sleep comfortably
And stay warm all night.

Thank You for saving me from
My depression,
And saving me from death
Five times,
For I would not be here
If not for You.
Thank You for protecting me
From my father's wrath,
Otherwise we would have died.
Thank You for Bruce
And all he did,
For he helped me grow.
Thank You for my friends
And all they do,
For they are truly great.

Lord, thank You for my blessings,
And thank You for all You do.
I cannot thank You enough
For all that You did for me.
I am happy You are always there,
And I am grateful for all that You do.
Thank You for everything.

In Your Name, I pray.

Amen.