We Grow in Grace – Poetry by Stephanie Lawrence

We grow in grace as years go by
And learn to see life’s truth
Encounters good and bad, we face
Lessons from the Learning Booth

The booth of time, where wisdom lies
Each truth we learned you’ll see
Etched into brow, with shoulders bent
The weight of life we now carry

You see the old forgetful man
Shuffling down the street
If you knew this sunny day
That man, someday soon you’ll be

Someday when time catches you
Those lines, now on your face
When you awake that fateful day
That you have grown in grace

And you will wonder as we do
How time has gone so fast
And where is all this wisdom
We heard about? we ask

How is it that I’m so wise
Because of years gone by?
Yes, my dear, I’ve learned a lot
But sometimes wisdom’s on the fly

I’m old as such, as I should be
I’ve put in lots of days
But I still wonder what to do
And sometimes what to say

But please, don’t treat me like a child
Or talk down to me now
I’m not your sweetie or your dear
I bear a wrinkled brow

My wrinkles say for all to see
I’ve earned the right today
To be treated with respect
There’s not much more to say

Know only this, yes, it’s true
That I am old and gray
But smart too, and sometimes wise
With good things left to say