Lord,
our youngest daughter, Niamh,
is 22 today.
It’s hard to believe
that so much time has gone by
since Niamh was born!

I find myself wondering
what you were doing
when you were 22?

Were you working with Joseph
as a joiner?
(And did you swear
under your breath
when you accidentally hit your thumb
with a hammer?)

Did your Mammy and Joseph
have a wee chat with you
to explain to you
who your real father was?
Or were you trying
to figure out yourself
who you were
and what your role was?

Did you spend
lots of time in prayer
so that people wondered
whether you might become
a rabbi?

For thirty years
you lived a life
that was mostly under-wraps.
Sometimes I wonder
what your life was like
before you burst onto the scene
of public life?

Today I wonder
what you were like
when you were only
a youthful 22
(like our Niamh)?

© Claire Murray, 2019