5th Sunday after Easter

John 15:1-8

Every line in his face
in wandering arcs
tells of a story
marked in time
a story of life
not always easy
and a time
we wished
would not have to have been
back then
before we reached that threshold
beyond which
we dared not to venture

Each line
now marks the focus
of grandchildren on his knee
hanging on every word
silence
and look
that tells with joy
and thankfulness
of when we stepped
beyond our comfort
a time
when we stepped into fear
with only the hand of Christ
to keep us from falling back
a time
without which
life would lose its meaning
its life