Parenting As We Go
by Michael Doyle

Holding on so tight
As life brings dark and light
Parenting the children trusted to us
And doing our best just because

God loves us and we should love one another
As we are either serving as father or mother
It's not just another homily
To acknowledge that we are all family

God provides us with His freedom
Though the commandments of the kingdom
While teaching us how to live free
Doing right by our community

Impress God's lines on your heart
Bound, never to allow to then depart
This is as we have aspired
To live each moment God-inspired

Each parent thinks on how they're raised
Doing their best to bring about a child praised
Hopefully shining as a beacon of light
And to live a life that walks upright

Parenting as we go 
Encouraging our children to grow
Words matter and can bring harm
Better to adjust in goodness and charm

To bring God's goodness into life
Approaching this with faith and ripe
For the harvest of love and truth
Keeping God's path illuminated from youth

In a world filled with too many pretenses
We each need our fences
It is not something that keeps us bound
Even blue skies need the ground

These are the blessings we need to live
Expressed in the symbols that we give
Tattooed false colors profess what we don't believe
We should choose instead those things that do not deceive

(c) April 24, 2022   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved