We all stood there in disbelief
And watched the towers fall.
How could this be happening—
They stood so strong and tall.
Symbols of our wealth and power
In a pile of rubble lay.
We needed strength beyond
ourselves
To make it through the day.
Some of us got angry.
We all felt weak inside.
Some of us just shook our heads,
And others of us cried.
Some of us got on the phone,
Some on our knees to pray.
We needed some connection
To make it through the day.
Some held a cherished wedding
ring
Or the picture of a child.
Some of us took a stranger’s hand
And held it for a while.
Some of us listened to the wind
For something it might say.
We all needed something
To make it through the day.
Some days our worlds come
crashing down.
Sometimes they just decay.
Sometimes it is the little things
That get us through the day
The kindness in a stranger’s
smile,
The things that children say
Somehow give us faith and hope
To make it through the day.
Often I think how little things
Contain the power of life:
The cooing of my new-born child,
A love-note from my wife,
A kitten sleeping in the swing,
My little girl at play—
Sometimes it is the little things
That get me through the day.
©2001, Stan Sanford
