Friday, October 2, 2020
Well, we’ve all been upended by the news that Donald and Melania Trump were diagnosed with the virus. Although we all must be deeply concerned, the track record of other world leaders who became ill should make us realize that the medical care given to a world leader is likely far superior to that given to many others. No matter what we may think of his political stance and rhetoric, we must hope and pray for a recovery.
This news serves to reinforce the importance of taking precautions – wearing the mask, washing the hands, using sanitizer, avoiding contact with people you do not know, and being very, very careful with people you do know.
I have to admit that preparing the memory books I gave my grandchildren took on urgency this spring and summer as I considered the possibility of my own mortality. I have begun the process of practicing the “gentle art,” as author Margareta Magnusson calls it, of “Swedish death cleaning,” going through the stuff – primarily papers and photos – and organizing them in a way that my children will know what is to be saved when I die. The process makes you consider what is truly important.
Prayer for the Day
Holy One, we seek your presence in our lives,
Praying your spirit to enter into us giving expression to our hopes
As we find ways to share your hope for the world.
Be with us as we wrestle with the dreams and demons of our lives
And bring us to a new understanding of your righteousness
So we share it with the world and all who dwell therein.
In the name of the One who is your righteousness,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It is not the length of life but the depth of life that matters.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist (1803–1882)
If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die.
Maya Angelou, American poet (1928–2014)
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures;
And leads me beside the still waters. God restores my soul.
The Lord leads me in the right paths for the sake of God’s holy name.
Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will not fear
For you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1–4