Thank You

Gratitude

is my thumb in the dike.

Some days it is all that holds back

a huge reservoir of loss.

The pressure of grief can be so mighty

that it pushes around my small thumb,

squirting through the gap,

leaking down the walls

to puddle at my feet.

On these days I am grateful,

so very, very grateful,

for the family, and friends,

neighbors and volunteers,

and sometimes even strangers

who stand in line behind me,

      waiting

      willing

to lend me their thumbs

should mine fail.