Pray A Little Prayer

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Flying

Steadfast God, Ever-Moving Spirit,
I pray for a change in perspective

and the ability to delight in
a single moment as I might
delight in one snapshot shape
of a shifting cloud:

to see time as a gift,
not a battle;

to breathe with purpose,
not just for survival;

to believe in the process
(not only the end goal)
of healing;

to sing always
as part of the whole chorus;

to shift my gaze from the sidewalk
to the horizon;

to know -- and learn to appreciate --
that more (much more!) of life
is beyond my control
than is in it.

Globally...and Personally

I pray for the miracle
of alienation becoming reconciliation
of solitude becoming solidarity
of individuals becoming community

For My Daughter (A Prayer of St. Anne)

My dear,

I birth you into a world of imperfections:

there are takers
deceivers
violators
haters.

Yet still it is a world of God's grace,

filled with givers
counselors
nurturers
lovers.

In all things, be a child of God, in the footsteps of God.

Womb of my womb,

I pray for you strength and grace,
inner beauty and outer presence.

Daughter of daughters,

May you strive for knowledge and friendship,
peace and justice.

Newest of women,

How can I explain to you womanhood,
so beautiful and so powerful?

Young Mary of mine,

In every playfulness and each pain,
in every growth and each rest...

...believe that God is woman.

I wrote a prayer for each of my children when they were born. This prayer -- written in the voice of St. Anne, mother of Mary the mother of Jesus -- was written for my daughter, who has a birthday today.

New blog review of Writing to God

2nd Monday Book Discussion at RevGalBlogPals, with many thanks to Mary Beth for her comments and her time in reviewing my new book...

Unexpected

. . . and then

every now and again

Life reminds me

that I have been worshiping

that elusive god

named Control

(a false idol, in fact,

yet I repeatedly make my altar to it)

so Life holds up a mirror

to my foolishness

and God tumbles me in a wave

to disorient

and reorient

my gods, my priorities.

So thank you, God,

for this shake-up

(and perhaps tomorrow

I will mean that

with more sincerity

than sarcasm).

Diversion Through The Zoo

This week has been like a trip to the zoo
with a four-year-old leading the way:

"Giraffe!

. . . Monkeys!

. . . . . . Elephant!

. . . Pandas!

Camel!

Lions!

Hippos! . . .

Monkeys!

. . . Flamingos!

. . . OTTERS! . . .

. . . Hey look, monkeys!!!"

"Snow!

Reschedule!

. . . . . . Email!

Snow!

ICE!!! . . . . . .

. . . Focus!

Write!

Plan!

. . . Hey look, snow!

Reschedule! . . .

Focus! . . .

Work!

Email!

. . . . . . Read!

. . . SNOW!"

...and I stagger into the week's end
unsure of whether to pray for forgiveness
for my distracted meandering,
or grace to accept this unexpected tour through the zoo
and even a little humor for having taken the journey.

I Came to Love You Too Late

I came to love you too late, Oh Beauty,
so ancient and so new. Yes,
I came to love you too late. What did I know?
You were inside me, and I was
out of my body and mind looking
for you.
I drove like an ugly madman against
the beautiful things and beings
you made.
You were inside me, but I was not inside you....
You called to me, you cried to me; you broke the bowl
of my deafness; you uncovered my beams and threw them
at me; you rejected my blindness; you blew a fragrant wind
on me, and
I sucked in my breath and wanted you; I tasted you
and now I want you as I want food and water; you
touched me, and I have been burning even since to
have your peace.

-- Saint Augustine

from For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics by Roger Housden (Hay House, Inc. 2009)