Where Start?

Where in my soul did my belief begin?
Was it my mother's prayer before my birth,
the priests who raised my consciousness of sin,
or from what I was able to unearth?

How in my soul did I arrive at hope?
Church teaching, Scripture, or reading a book,
"Crossing the Threshold of Hope" by the Pope,
or seeing smiles everywhere I look?

When in my soul did love begin to bloom?
Did I perceive it in my mother's eyes,
or when I felt protected in her womb,
or knowing I could go to Paradise?

God planted gifts of faith and hope and love,
I struggle with but am so thankful of.

                   -- by Pete Voelz        5/08