Did you put to good use the past minute,

While you had it in your power?

Did you benefit from every second in it,

Or is it a wasted part of a wasted hour?

Did you spend it with loving care,

Smiling joyously at children's play?

And who was there with you, to share,

Or has it been part of a wasted day?

Did you use it to say, "I love you."

Or plant a welcome kiss on someone's cheek?

Did you say a prayer to God above you,

Or add the time to a wasted week?

Did a stranger receive a welcome smile,

To ease his load, and without reason?

Did you ask him to rest awhile,

Or add the time to a now lost season?

Did you see the dawn and realize

The beauty of birth, and the tears?

Did you try to wipe tears from someone's eyes,

Or add that minute to the lost-time years?

Did you comfort a child, a little girl,

Or help a boy to deal with some strife?

Are you caught up in living's merry whirl?

Do you know how many minutes make a life?