You know those days when you know that need to be aware of God’s presence in your life because it is going to be a hard, hard day? This is a prayer for those days.
God, this day is just beginning and I know it is going to be hard. I know you will be with me. I know it. And I know myself well enough to know that I will need reminders of your presence today. So remind me of your steadfast love, your wisdom, your compassion as this day unfolds. I know there is nowhere that I can go that you are not with me. Remind me of this when the way ahead isn’t easy. When worries creep in and my mind won’t slow down, be the peace that is needed. If a change in plan is needed and my idea of hope must be rewritten, be the solid rock on which I can stand. Remind me, Gracious God, because today of all days I need a reminder that you will never leave me alone. Amen.
Today is my nephew’s 6th birthday. As I have aged, I have found it easier and easier to rush through life from one task to the next without pausing for fun or noticing the world around me. The younger people in my life remind me to slow down and have fun.
So in honor of his 6 years on earth, I share with you 6 life lessons I have learned from my nephew.
1-Always order dessert when offered! It doesn’t matter if you can finish the whole dessert. Life is filled with many sweet things and we should enjoy them.
Making dirt cake for Grandma!
2-Be crafty! For Christmas, I got this little guy, 6 rolls of Scotch tape because he loves to take a cardboard box, some scissors, and a roll of tape and be creative. You don’t have to make a cardboard car or a holder for your Aunt’s socks without mates. You can look at regular object around your house and find ways to give them new life. Be like Crafty Sam.
Cardboard box, scissors, and tape!
3-Use your cute eyes! Whenever my nephew wants something special like Grandpa’s mac’n’cheese or some extra play time, we encourage him to use his cute eyes. He’ll stop what he is doing and look right at you with the sweetest look on his face. It makes me wonder what if we took the time to look at each other when asking for a favor or help. Slow down and look at another person. See their humanity.
Cute eyes!
4-Say I’m sorry! Lest you think I view my nephew as a perfect child, let me assure you that this energetic 6 year old gets in trouble more than his parents would prefer. He has learned to say he is sorry when he hurts someone else. Do any of us need a reminder today to apologize when we have caused hurt? And maybe a reminder to simply say I’m sorry without excuses-just say I’m sorry when someone else needs to hear it. It isn’t easy when you are six and it isn’t any easier for those of us who are older.
I’m sorry!
5-There’s always time for fun! If you let my nephew plan the activities for a day, be prepared to-run around chasing him or being chased, eat three meals plus snacks, make a craft, run more, build a fort, walk through the woods, run again, color and then run, take a five minute rest which is about 30 seconds for him and then do the whole list again while also playing with dinosaurs, building a puzzle, having a stuffie fight (which means you are tossing stuffed animals at each other and laughing a lot). Just a regular day planned by someone who is 6. I hope you see in that plan that there is always time for fun. How might you add some fun to your day?
Blanket Fort!
6-Say I love you! Everyone wants to hear I love you and it feels good to tell someone you love them. If you aren’t in the habit of saying I love you, why not try it? We all want to know we are loved.
I love you, Grandma!
So that’s your to do list for today-have some dessert, be creative, use what you’ve got, say I’m sorry, make time for fun, and say I love you.
Pray with me.
Creative One, You love us and call us to love others and ourselves. You made us creative beings and ask us to use the gifts we have been given. You created laughter and fun and encourage us to find joy in our days. You remind us to ask for forgiveness when we have done wrong. Continue to walk with us on this journey of life and open our eyes to see those who are brightening our paths by their very presence. Amen.
In preparation for taking down the Christmas tree, I sat quietly near it the other night. I shut off all the other lights in the room. I had the whole room to myself. It was peaceful. The light of the tree was brighter than I expected it to be.
I sat and thought about the Christmas season that had just ended as well as other Christmases. The many trees that have lit homes where I have lived and homes that have welcomed me like family. I thought about trees bursting with ornaments and trees we hoped would make it to Christmas. I reflected on the beauty a Christmas tree shares.
When the tree is put away, it looks so empty for a few days and then we return to “normal life”. Knowing that no matter how hard I try this will happen again this year, I wanted to sit with wonder by the tree one last time.
God of Wonders, Increase our sense of wonder that we may be awed by you and your creation. So often we think of wonders as big things. Remind us to be amazed by the little, everyday things in our lives like a Christmas tree in a silent room. Open us today to the wonders around us calling our names. And help us to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts when the tree is gone. Amen.
While I still have hope in 2021 and the possibilities of this new year, it has been a hard first week. I heard the phrase this is not who I want my country to be, and I think that is a fitting description.
On hard days, it can be a challenge to find words for prayer. You know that prayer does not require words. Some days the words won’t come, and this is a prayer for those days.
God, What can I say today? I have no words. The words will not come. I am numb. I don’t know what to say. And at times, I have too many words and they are spilling out of me not always making sense. Hear my prayer of too many or too few words. Listen to my heart. Hear my thoughts. Inspire me to action when words are not working. Strengthen me to stand, sit, or get out of the way whichever is needed. And when a break is needed, help me to rest in you. Amen.
We are halfway through the month of December. When I was younger, December was a month full of joy, happiness, and expectations. December meant time with relatives, once a year traditions, good food, and so much love. This wasn’t the same for everyone even when they were young. And as I have aged, I have become more aware of the range of emotions that the month of December stirs up for people. For some, December is a month filled with grief and sadness and regret and loneliness. For some, December is a time of not being able to live up to expectations. For some, December doesn’t bring the peace they long to find.
A song that sums up for me the less discussed feelings of this month is Over the Rhine’s “If We Make It Through December”-“If we make it through December Everything’s gonna be alright I know It’s the coldest time of winter And I shiver when I see the falling snow
If we make it through December Got plans to be in a warmer town come summertime Maybe even California If we make it through December we’ll be fine”
I invite you to keep this idea in your mind as you move about the next half of the month. For so many this month won’t look like they have hoped-families may be celebrating via Zoom instead of together, empty seats will remind us of the loved ones who are no longer with us, finances may be tighter than other years, fears of illness may be causing additional stress, and so many other stresses and worries and fears and concerns and possibilities may be keeping people up at night. And if none of this is true for you, it is true for someone you know and love.
So as much as I would love to end with some cheerful words to made everything work out perfectly like the end of a perfectly scripted Hallmark movie (that was not an attack on Hallmark movies which bring much joy to so many), I am going to ask us to do the hard work. I am going to encourage you to sit with the hard feelings and not rush past them. When this month doesn’t meet your expectations, live in that feeling for awhile. When you are missing your loved ones, focus on the memories for a bit and allow yourself to be sad or cry or miss them. When you can’t imagine how things will work out, be angry and live in the heartbreak. And when you are ready, reach out to someone and share how you are feeling, write your feelings down, say out loud that the month of December is hard for you. If none of what you have read mirrors the way you have ever felt in December, I encourage you to be on the look out for those for whom these words ring true. They need you this month.
Hear again the words of the song as our benediction.
“If we make it through December Everything’s gonna be alright I know It’s the coldest time of winter And I shiver when I see the falling snow
If we make it through December Got plans to be in a warmer town come summertime Maybe even California If we make it through December we’ll be fine” Amen!
We can all agree that this Thanksgiving is not like ones we have known in the past. I am not going to tell you how to celebrate this year as you can find many other places and people who have shared information about what are the best choices to make for the holidays.
Instead I want you to be aware of your emotions as you navigate the coming days.
What are you grieving? Write or verbalize those traditions that are not happening for you this year and how you feel about these changes.
Where are you giving thanks? Write or verbalize the people, places, things for which you are giving thanks today.
Where are you finding joy? Write or verbalize the current times you feel joy or memories that bring you joy.
Where are you having moments of peace? Write or verbalize when you feel peace and allow yourself to linger in your feelings of peace.
Let yourself feel the emotions that this reflection brings up. Cry, laugh, scream, smile, and do what you need to do as you live with the emotions that come up this holiday.
I shared a version of this reflection with my coworkers at Coastal Hospice as part of our ongoing weekday inspirational calls. I am thankful for those calls where I can hear the reflections and prayers of my colleagues as well as take the time to reflect and write from my heart.
When I was young, my paternal grandmother was the epitome of a grandmother. She baked my favorite cookies. She read me bedtime stories. She rocked dolls and ate pretend meals cooked up by my sister and me. She took us to church each Sunday. She loved her grandchildren fiercely.
Sadly, I never had the privilege of living close to either set of my grandparents. Instead we would spend about a month each summer with each side of the family. While I didn’t see my grandparents on a daily basis, I was part of their daily lives for a month each summer and then for shorter visits throughout the year.
In order to help her grandchildren prepare for an upcoming event, my grandmother taught us to countdown the sleeps until a big day. Instead of how many days until we visited, we would be asked how many sleeps until a visit?
I have attempted to pass this way of anticipating an upcoming exciting event down to my niece and nephew. I want them to know the same excitement I felt as a child when I was too excited to sleep when waiting for something good to happen.
And recently my heart was warmed and I began to feel that same excitement when my mother said, how many more sleeps? I did the countdown and shared the number.
My mother’s question is a reminder that we are never too old to count down sleeps in anticipation of something which is worth the wait!
You are welcome to borrow our family ritual and start counting down the sleeps. Or create a ritual of your own that helps you feel that sense of excitement as you prepare yourself for someone or something worth the wait!
God, We want things instantly. We are not good at waiting. Slow us down. Remind us that waiting is preparing. In waiting we may learn. Help us to move from our time to your time and trust in your goodness. Give us patience in a world that doesn’t always have time for patience. Slow us down as we begin to count toward those things and people worth the wait. Amen.
Have you had a time in your life when you didn’t want to do something you enjoyed doing? A time when you lacked the energy and ambition to do something which normally feeds your soul? You might have noticed that the hours turned into days and the days turned into weeks. I have been struggling with this lately as I have had no interest in writing. Normally, I enjoy writing reflections on life and faith, prayers and words for worship, and book reviews and then I share those writing with each one of you. We are not here to analyze why I haven’t been writing as that is not the point of this time. Instead I want to reflect on how I started writing again in the hopes that this might inspire you when you are not able to do what you long to do.
1-Give yourself time. (We all need a break now and then even from those things we feel called to do. Give yourself permission to stop for a time. Breathe deeply and be patient with yourself).
2-Reflect on what is blocking your ability to proceed. (When you are ready, take an inventory of your days. How are you spending your time and how would you like to spend your time? When your inspiration returns is there time in your schedule to do what you love? And if your reasons for taking a break from something you love are emotionally or spiritually related, talk with someone you trust who can listen and affirm you).
3-Jump, run, or walk back into that task or activity you love. (After giving yourself time, try to come back. Go as slowly or quickly as is comfortable for you. Try it. If it doesn’t feel right, return to steps one and two until you are ready. And if it fits like your favorite pair of pants, then smile and be glad and keep doing what you love).
As with all things I write, I needed this today. I am hopeful that these words might support you through a tough time and remind you that you are not alone.
Join me in prayer- Creating God, You created us to be creative beings. Some days it is easy to be our creative selves and some days it is so hard. We delight in knowing you are here with us on the hard days as well as on our easy days. Inspire us to use the gifts you gave us for good especially for the good of others. Remind us to be kind with ourselves and with each person with whom we interact this day. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
Late in 2019, I was introduced to “1000 Hours Outside“. This is the encouragement to increase the amount of time spent outside to lessen the amount of time spent in front of screens/inside. It was created to encourage taking children outside more and evolved to include adults too. I jumped into this idea with both feet on January 1st. I began to track my time outside. I printed the countdown sheet where I could cross off every hour until I reached my goal of 1000 hours. You will not be shocked to know that I did not make big progress toward my goal in the cold, wet days of January. And for those of you who love math, 1000 hours averages about 2 hours and 45 minutes a day. This has been a long year, so you may not remember that January 2020 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was not a month that inspired me to sit outside or hike outside or be outside.
My excitement for this project turned to disappointment and discouragement. And, I quit. I took my countdown worksheet and I crumpled it up because I was so defeated. I recycled it. That isn’t the end of the story. This idea of getting outside more-of intentially choosing to be outside-stayed with me. As 2020 unfolded in ways none of us dreamed possible, I had more opportunities to be outside. We are now being encouraged to eat outside and be outside more and more. What could be seen as a massive failure-I have no idea how many hours I spent outside this year because I stopped counting in January-could instead be seen as taking someone else’s idea and making it work for me. Because this idea has stayed with me, I find myself feeling pulled to be outside more to sit and watch the clouds, or walk through my neighborhood or the local park, or even to do yardwork not because I love yard work and instead because I love how good it looks when the work is done.
I hope my failed attempt to keep track of how many hours I spent outside this year inspires you to look at something in your life that could be considered a failure or an unfinished project or something you never started because it would never end and you make it work for you. Do it in your own way. Try it. Let the ideas of others in and use them in ways that work for you.
God of All Creation, We can be too hard on ourselves for those things we call failures. Help us to reframe our ideas as opportunities. Use our creativity to create new paths instead of obstacles. Push us outside of our comfort zones to places where we might change and grow. When we do go outside, open us to experience the wonder of creation. We give thanks to you, God, for being part of your creation and being your beloved children. Amen.
