May the cool fingers of morning
Brush your cheek as you arise.
May the deep peace of the meadow
Rock your soul in sweet embrace.
May the light of loving truth
Dawn upon your soul.
May you wake to the life
That belongs to you,
Seeded deep within your very self –
A gift of your creation,
The delight of all who love you.
May you find and live your areté.
[photo by Hafiz Issadeen per cc 2.0]
When you open sleepy eyes this morning
And remember that it is Christmas,
May your heart lift with joy.
May the first gift of your morning
Be the deep contentment of being held in love.
May you see all the gifts that grace this day,
Knowing that the tinsel gifts of your childhood
Were just the shadow –
A pattern of the kind of gifting
That flows from one to another, to another,
One gift begetting the next,
Until all are giddy with the exchange.
May you see the world with Christmas eyes,
Where the true economy – the economy of love – takes root.
Where it really is more blessed to give than to receive,
Where we can rest our hearts, our lives,
In the sure confidence that love will triumph,
That, at the end of the day, empty wrapping paper on the floor
It not a sign that it is over
But the promise that it has just begun.
May you greet the Christ, newborn into your heart this day.
May that Christ, the very essence of God made manifest,
Shine forth in every leaf and blade,
In every smile and hug,
In every gift that brings the giver’s heart close to your own.
May you see the exchanges of love made manifest.
May you give and receive in joy this day.
Merry Christmas.
May your days be filled with the fingerprints of love,
The quiet, almost imperceptible affirmations
That keep you steady in the midst of bustle:
The cup of coffee shared on grateful mornings,
The hug when you are weary,
The hand you reach for in the presence of beauty,
A sigh at the end of a long day,
Your heads upon a common pillow.
May these small moments coat your days
With the tangible presence of grace – of lived affection.
May the wonder of this day’s celebration,
Echo far into the future’s future
As you grow in each other’s presence,
And find your true selves, truly held,
Within your heart’s true home.
[Celebrating E&M 11 26 16]
May your heart find peace this day.
May you breathe in the holy breath of hope.
May it strengthen your soul and fortify your step.
May you know, deeply know, that you are not alone.
Just for a moment, may you feel the embrace of deepest love,
Circling round your very being, holding you tight.
May you know with deep assurance
That you will never fall,
Except you fall into those arms.
[photo by Demetrios Varoumas per cc 2.0]
As you round this corner into a new year
may your heart be full of grateful abundance.
May this day be full of wonder.
May your fondest memories bring a smile to your lips.
May your deepest hopes blossom into joy.
May you wake to the deep and unshakable assurance of God’s love
and see it reflected in each encounter of this day.
Amen
[today is about halfway between the birthdays of the sisters in this photo]
This day,
This day,
Oh Holy One,
Let me unclench my fists so that I might receive your grace.
Let me stop trying to run ahead, and turn, instead, to dance with you.
Let me give the baton into your hands and just enjoy the music.
Let me give you my fear in exchange for your hope.
Let me open my heart as a conduit of love.
Let my fingers carry your blessing to this moment.
Let me trust that you are, indeed,
Bending the arch of the universe
So that all will joyfully come home to you.
May your dreams come true.
May I dream them with you.
And trust enough to laugh along the way.
Amen.
[photo by Dixie Lawrence per cc 2.0]
These words, whispered in my ear this morning:
Do you see, my little one,
The ribbon of red along the horizon?
Do you feel the rush of mystery,
Touched by the fingers of the sun as it rises?
Do you not know, deep in your soul, that my love for you
Is too deep for hope to be forever lost?
Take heart. Take my heart.
My hope for you will not stay in the tomb.
My hope for this world cannot be contained.
There is no crucible from which it cannot rise.
The depth of pain,
The nails of hate,
Even the denial of friends
Cannot hold the folds of darkness so firmly
That they refuse the new day,
Which is rising, even now.
And so, here is my blessing for you, this Easter morning:
May you rise from the many deaths you have encountered, strong and full and free
For this is the path I have opened for you.
My you hold my light of hope for the world to see.
May your fingers join the sun in searching out the mystery.
May you grasp hope as your talisman, as the abiding assurance of my love
That each day, each day, reaches out to you from the far horizon.
It is time for a resurrection.
Take it into your heart,
That I might live in you
That you might live in this world
And live it into resurrection, too.
[edited from photo by Sean MacEntee per cc 2.0]
[see also DONE! and Done]
