Time to Adore
by Ruth Bell Graham

And when I die

I hope my soul ascends

slowly, so that I

may watch the earth receding

out of sight,

its vastness growing smaller as I rise, 

savoring its recession with delight.

Anticipating joy is itself a joy.

And joy unspeakable

and full of glory needs more 

than “in the twinkling of an eye,”

more than “in a moment.”

Lord, who am I to disagree?

It’s only we have much to leave behind;

so much … Before.

These moments of transition 

will, for me,

be time to adore.

Editor’s Note: This month marks the 18th anniversary of Ruth Bell Graham’s homegoing, on June 14, 2007. 

Taken by permission from “Ruth Bell Graham’s Collected Poems,” by Ruth Bell Graham, ©1977, 1992, 1997 Ruth Bell Graham, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ruth Bell Graham’s life was marked by her love of the Word of God, the Bible. She taught her children to memorize Scripture, and her Bible was filled with handwritten notes she had jotted down while studying.