Is it alright for me to rest?
I finished not but did my best.
The work undone fills me with shame
And makes me fear I’ll be to blame.
How much I long to close my eyes
And hear my Mother’s lullabies.
But am I worthy of her song,
If from my fault goes something wrong?
I do believe her merciful
And understanding of my soul.
Is truth thus found in charity,
Or must I trust anxiety?
I toss and turn to put to rest
The thought, “You never did your best,”
While recollections I regret
Give still more cause for me to fret.
Myself I seek to justify,
Recounting all my reasons “why.”
But no amount of facts can take
Away my doubts now wide awake.
And so I pray to her and wait
‘Til worry has stayed up too late
And sleeps without an argument,
As I rest in abandonment.
– Fr. Timothy J. Draper
Featured image: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) – Song of the Angels