Mercy by Candace Echols
Today I stepped out in the Birmingham air.
It smelled better than coffee, it smelled like a prayer.
It awakened my spirit, it awakened my pen.
All at once, I missed every place I've ever been.
Thousands of mornings, I've had new starts,
new mercies, all fresh, they clean up my heart.
Mercy is scented: it smells good, you know.
It smells just like new-fallen, sparkling white snow.
It smells like croissants in a patisserie in Nice,
It smells like Montana, the river, the peace.
It's the smell of the child who cried out in the night
full of fear, but now is at peace in first light.
It's the first whiff of turkey on Thanksgiving morn,
It's the smell of a baby who has just now been born.
It's the smell of the windows left open all night,
It's the smell of my journal when I start to write.
When you are surprised by the smell of the day,
let it remind you to remember to say:
"Thank you, dear Father, for all that you've done,
for my thousands of mercies that cost you your Son."
Then soak up the mercy and live in his care.
Wherever you are, you can know that he's there.
He won't ever leave you, not daytime or night,
but every morning, he reminds you with light.
Candace Echols and her husband Jim live in Memphis, Tennessee, where they are raising their five children and their Bernedoodle, Rookie. She has written for The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, Deeply Rooted, Style Blueprint, and Storyboard Memphis. This past year, she released her first children's book, Josephine and the Quarantine. Candace loves the fine art of asking good questions as well as traveling. She can't wait to return to England sometime soon!