This day, a blessing.
This day, a whisper of hope
And the brush of love across my cheek.
This day, a gasp of beauty.
These await my waking.
My heart is eager
To greet such a day as
this day.
[photo by Christian Weidinger per cc 2.0]
Today
May you trust the dawn,
Which I am bringing.
May your heart find a way
To hold both sorrow and hope.
May your ears listen, in quiet solidarity,
To the grief of cruel rejection.
And know that such a time as this,
Is meant for change, for growth.
The chrysalis has broken open.
Do not fear its breaking.
I have not abandoned you.
Nor have I forsaken my deep love for all.
Rest within my arms for just a moment.
Do not turn too quickly from the grief.
Let me rock you softly as your tears fall.
May you know, deeply know, that love prevails.
Already, I love you.
I always have.
You are a mystery, born of love.
And your wings will soon unfold into that truth.
You are emerging from the chrysalis that held you.
Its constraints no longer serve.
But it will take some time for the sun to dry your wings.
And the breeze of freedom to lift you for flight.
You can trust my love to win, again and always.
It is less about resistance and more about release.
My ways are not your ways.
They are strong and sure.
Love will prevail, not through plots and strategies,
But, as love always does, in loving.
In the meantime, may your heart hold on to me,
As I hold you.
[photo by Dagmar Collins per cc 2.0]
When we think of you,
We remember how your faith unfolds into works of love;
How you persevere in hope, even when times are tough.
Your hope gives us hope;
Your joy brings us joy
Your faith inspires faith;
Your life shines life into our lives.
No wonder we give thanks to the Holy One
Whenever we remember you.
You embody the Spirit of grace
Who makes us one within the One.
No one can say, ‘Look! I made the candle burn.’
Instead what burns in you lights up another
And it goes on and on.
[a meditation on 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3]
[photo by Gregory Gill per cc 2.0]
May your soul be wrapped in God’s great love
So that you might find your true home in that embrace.
May your heart be filled with whispers of hope
So that you might face this day with joy.
May the energy of life itself flow through your fingers
So that your touch might heal and enliven all you encounter.
May your dearest wish stir to wakefulness within the one great heart
Finding unique expression within that deeper unity.
May you somehow know the hidden secrets that cannot be grasped
But must, instead, be received with an open, grateful hand.
I woke this morning with the vestiges of a troubled dream still roiling my soul. It remained, not so much in my memory as in my emotions. It was unsettling, and threatened to take me to a dark place. Suddenly, I could understand the idea of omens and evil spirits. I could feel the power of the imagination.
Nothing about the physical world around me was different. The sheets, tousled upon my bed, the blanket tossed aside, the taste of my morning coffee, were all as they had been yesterday and the day before. But my heart was troubled.
And now I faced a choice. I could let the dream take my imagination, or I could let my imagination take the dream. That idea … that different tone … started as a small point of light in the center of my soul.
Like a candle in the night, it flickered there, faltering, fragile in the darkness. But I cupped my hands around it and focused my attention there. Small as it was, it warmed my hands. That warmth traveled up my arms and found my heart. It began to expand within me until I found that I could breath again.
I took a deep, full breath and shook my head, and shook my soul. It broke the spell of foreboding. I listened to the chimes outside my window and the quiet breathing of my husband, there beside me. A sense of gratitude began to rise within me, just as the night began to fade to day.
Not all evil is imaginary, but sometimes imaginary evil can threaten to steal your soul. And sometimes even the evil that is real grows stronger through imagination. Even then, sometimes, you can choose to see the light, and welcome it with gratitude.
You cannot really hold the light. But sometimes you can choose to let it hold you.
May you find the light, today.
May it hold you in its warmth.
May you learn to choose hope, when you can.
And find room to be grateful,
Even now.
[this image was placed in the public domain by Noubi noubi]
May you find the melody your heart was made to sing this day
May it flow softly, surely, out into the world
Giving hope those who wander close enough to hear.
May your soul know its part within the whole,
The part that makes it whole,
And sees that wholeness glistening in others.
May you wake beside your dearest love
And see them smiling at the sight of you
And feel their love enfold you.
May you hear the melody of God’s own dear song
Playing in harmony with yours
As it opens your ears to the symphony of life.
May it grace your way
And fill your day
With deepest healing and abiding joy.
[photo by Mark Moschell per cc 2.0]
May you hold your own heart gently
As you make it through this day.
Sometimes it is enough
Just to breathe, just to wait.
Words, even tears, are not required.
Those hollow places are sacred,
Holding room for the grace
That quietly surrounds you.
[drawing by Bill Rogers per cc 2.0]
May you rest your head, this evening, upon a pillow of rich and beautiful dreams – where your imagination runs barefoot across a meadow of delight.
May your heart be set free from the concerns of the day.
May your soul find its home in the hollow of God’s hand.
May you receive and return that primal love
That calls the universe to life and sustains its every breath.
[image cropped from photo by angrylambie1 per cc 2.0]
As you snuggle into sleep at night,
May you be wrapped in a deep sense of peace,
Grateful for the day’s challenges and delights.
May your dreams be touched by the heart of God,
Filling you with hope and courage and purpose.
May you wake to the assurance
That you are fully, deeply loved.
May you live each day in the knowledge
That nothing can separate you from that love,
No matter where you go, or what you do.
May your smile continue to light up a room.
May your eyes crinkle with delight and wonder
At all the beauty of the world around you.
May you add your creativity to the larger dance of life,
And receive with joy the gifts that come your way.
May your hands be quick to help.
May your words be full of kindness.
May your friendships be true.
May you embrace your life with grace and gusto,
Giving and receiving joy along the way.
May the soft breeze of God’s whisper
Lift your heart as you arise.
May God’s dear smile
Play across the faces of your friends,
As you greet each other along the way.
May you find yourself joyfully engaged
In those tasks most suited to your gifts.
May you deeply know, even in the midst
Of troubles and questions and seeming failure,
That you, yourself, will never be abandoned.
May you see that any gift,
Given in love into the hand of God,
Softens the edges of reality,
And widens the flow of grace.
Each act of love
Is a step
In the redemption of the world.
[photo by Styleღwithღattitude per cc 2.0]
Quiet Hope 