Table of Contents
Acknowledgments x
Foreword Ross Gay xi
The Necessity of Joy James Crews 1
Hope Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer 5
Dandelion Ted Kooser 6
Promise Barbara Crooker 7
At the Age of 18-Ode to Girls of Color Amanda Gorman 8
In Any Event Dorianne Laux 10
Astral Chorus Laura Grace Weldon 11
My Daughter's Singing Garret Keizer 12
Surprise Breakfast David Romtvedt 13
The Facts of Life Ron Wallace 15
Fifteen Years Later, I See How It Went Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer 16
The Newborns Kathryn Hunt 17
Shells Christen Pagett 18
Bus Stop Laure-Anne Bosselaar 19
Hoodie January Gill O'Neil 20
Angel Terri Kirby Erickson 21
Thankful for Now Todd Davis 22
Reflective Pause: The Joy of Presence 23
Autism Poem: The Grid Barbara Crooker 24
Kindergarten Studies the Human Heart Diana Whitney 25
Valentine's Day Gail Newman 27
In Gratitude Abigail Carroll 29
Held Open Michelle Wiegers 32
Listening for Your Name David Graham 33
Another Day Filled with Sleeves of Light Heather Swan 34
A Cure Against Poisonous Thought Annie Lighthart 35
Forgiveness Mary McCue 36
Two Weeks After a Silent Retreat Heather Lanier 37
Reflective Pause: The Kingdom at Hand 39
Today, When I Could Do Nothing Jane Hirshfield 40
Red Thyme Laura Ann Reed 42
The Once Invisible Garden Laura Foley 43
Down to Earth James Crews 44
Old Friends Freya Manfred 45
Let It Rain Brad Peacock 46
Against Panic Molly Fisk 47
Over the Weather Naomi Shihab Nye 48
Notions Paula Gordon Lepp 49
Any Common Desolation Ellen Bass 50
Reflective Pause: Returning to the World 51
Language, Prayer, and Grace Mark Nepo 52
The Fish Jane Hirshfield 53
Reincarnate Patricia Fargnoli 54
Innocence Linda Hogan 55
Everything Is Made of Labor Farnaz Fatemi 56
Apple Blossoms Susan Kelly-DeWitt 57
Growing Apples Nancy Miller Gomez 58
Aspen Danusha Laméris 59
With Trees Margaret Hasse 61
Shelter in Place Kim Stafford 63
Missing Key Heather Newman 64
Climbing the Golden Mountain Michael Kiesow Moore 65
To See It Laura Foley 66
Unclouded Vision Jacqueline Jules 67
Improvement Danusha Laméris 68
Reflective Pause: Grateful for Small Victories 70
After Spending the Morning Baking Bread Jack Ridl 71
Radiance Wally Swist 72
Morning Kristen Case 73
Wedding Poem Ross Gay 74
Pledge Jehanne Dubrow 76
Angela Narciso Torres Amores Perros 77
Mending Noah Davis 79
Penny Harter In the Dark 80
A Candle in the Night Nathan Spoon 81
Praise of Darkness Francine Marie Tolf 82
An Essay on Age Judith Chalmer 83
Easter Morning TedKooser 84
The Cardinal Reminds Me Andrea Potos 85
When Life Seems a To-Do List Marjorie Saiser 86
Moon Lahab Assef Al-Jundi 87
Because the Night You Asked Crystal S. Gibbins 88
September Swim Rob Hunter 89
What to Do Joyce Sutphen 91
Any Morning William Stafford 92
Reflective Pause: Pieces of Heaven 93
How It Might Continue Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer 94
From Blossoms Li-Young Lee 95
Motherhood Jessica Gigot 96
Wondrous Sarah Freligh 97
Summer Apples Cathryn Essinger 98
Third Year of My Mother's Dementia Lynne Knight 99
Rabbit Heather Swan 100
Laughter Dale Biron 101
In the Company of Women January Gill O'Neil 102
Leaning to the Light Alice Wolf Gilborn 103
I Watched an Angel in the Emergency Room Andrea Potos 104
When Giving Is All We Have Alberto Ríos 105
Offering Albert Garcia 106
Too Many to Count Alison Luterman 108
If I Carry My Father Marjorie Saiser 110
Weather George Bilgere 111
Work Sally Bliumis-Dunn 112
Reflective Pause: The Joy of Making 113
Goldfinches Danusha Laméris 114
The Lesser Goldfinch Connie Wanek 116
The Word Tony Hoagland 117
Tomorrow Barbara Crooker 119
Quail Hollow Cynthia White 120
Compost Happens Laura Grace Weldon 122
Part of the Landscape Joan Mazza 123
Essential Gratitude Andrea Potos 124
Reflective Pause: The Gratitude List 125
Gratitude List Laura Foley 126
The Dog Body of My Soul Katherine Williams 127
Scratch, Sniff Katie Rubinstein 129
Summer Cottage Mary Elder Jacobsen 130
Coming Home at Twilight in Late Summer Jane Kenyon 131
Perceptive Prayer Grace Bauer 132
Sap Icicles Patricia Fontaine 133
The lesson of the falling leaves Lucille Clifton 135
A Dervish of Leaves Ted Kooser 136
Winter Morning James Crews 137
The Good Life Tracy K. Smith 138
Thanksgiving for Two Marjorie Saiser 139
Reflective Pause: The Feast of Bach Moment 141
Nest Jeffrey Harrison 142
Getting into Bed on a December Night Ellen Bass 143
Everybody Made Soups Lisa Coffman 144
Darkest Before Dawn James Crews 145
Rosary Brad Peacock 146
To Ask Julie Murphy 147
There Doesn't Need to Be a Poem Tess Taylor 148
Wingspan Amy Dryansky 150
Eagle Poem Joy Harjo 151
What Matters Terri Kirby Erickson 152
In Love with the World Mark Nepo 153
Reading Group Questions and Topics for Discussion 154
Poet Biographies 160
Credits 187