Perfect for Me

Dear God, Creator, Sovereign Lord,

I thank you for your gifts to me.

Of one gift now I’d like to write—

My precious family.

My dad’s a Godly, loving man,

Selfless and never vain.

He freely gives his time and energy

And seldom acts for personal gain.

My mother is precious, a wonderful mom,

Whom I have learned nearly everything from.

Her wisdom and guidance and friendship I've needed

And with her, many trials I have overcome.

Philip, the oldest of six,

Is the most considerate person I know—

Though I’m 12 years his junior I feel like his friend.

He was never too old for his bro.

Then there’s Callie, my friend,

Overflowing with love,

Hard working, inspiring, relatable, honest,

She falls down and gets up when push comes to shove.

Olivia, dear Olivia—

The most remarkable person I've met.

She’s a productive bundle of enthusiastic creativity.

Her rival I haven’t found yet.

For Peter, I have so much respect,

For the man he is and the things he has done,

For a stoic ability to put up with me,

For being a friend, role model, and paintball target all rolled into one.

This brings me to Aaron, the last of these gifts.

Being the youngest, his job isn’t easy,

But he does his best and works very hard.

His perseverance inspires me.

So, Lord, these gifts I bring to you

And thank you for each one.

This family loves and challenges me

And brings me joy and tons of fun.

Aaron insisted that I include a few lines about his muscles, so I wrote this bonus stanza for him:

A lump is forming on his arm.

His pecks are finally coming along.

His shoulders still could use some work.

His abs are actually somewhat strong.