by Jacob Winkler (Passaic, NJ)
I remember running through the streets
it was still dark and I was racing
to my favorite rooftop.
This was before I learned to pray.
I would watch the sun
and in the quiet world around me
raise my arms to the sky
and twirl.
Thank You!
Thank You for the waking birds
the sun-streaks and the mountain wind.
Thank You for this life
this body and soul
and the companions You’ve given me
on this journey
my family, my friends.
Now I glance up
between verses of Psalms.
Today I have so much more
to be thankful for
it takes a long time
to say Thank You
in the morning.
Jacob Winkler lives in Passaic, NJ with his wife and one year old son. While he and his family are members of the observant community, he says he doesn’t fit easily into categories. Before spending three years learning at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, he studied at the Kripalu Yoga Center in Massachusetts and spent a semester at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
You can find more of his work on his website, Glory To The Highest, http://www.glorytothehighest.com, where this piece first appeared. It’s reprinted here with the kind permission of the author.
The Jewish Writing Project 