i thank You God

On this my 17th birthday, all I can really express is my gratitude to God for this past year. It's been a time of immense growth for me, possibly unknown to those around me. I've had so many life-altering experiences since my 16th birthday, and each one of them has brought me closer to God in a different way. I am simply in awe over how fabulous my life is, and that is no exaggeration. I can't believe how much I've managed to do and become in 365 short days. All the joy and the small amount of sorrow I've experienced. I sincerely thank everyone who has helped me along this twelvemonth journey to become who I am. I never thought I'd be this happy with my life, and here I am at 17 years old overflowing with joy!

Since music is far more effective than words to express feelings, I'd like to share one of the songs we sang at Regional Honor Choir. (I don't have a video of us singing it, unfortunately, but this choir is directed by the same person.) Here are the words, written by e. e. cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

P.S. thank you for all the birthday wishes!