It’s Friday, heading into the Labor Day Weekend. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, sunny days, high 70s, cool night. Sound perfect but not so because we’re all still cleaning up from a terrible storm that may have left more dead in our region than in the Gulf Coast where the initial hurricane hit.
In addition, the number of Covid infections has been seriously rising, fueled by the delta variant although we’re not facing the high death toll we had last year. And now we are faced with a new refugee crisis for which we bear at least some moral responsibility.
The optimism with which many of us entered this summer has dissipated. People are more polarized. If we but stop, take stock of what we do have, and reorient ourselves, we will realize how much we have to be grateful for. Practicing gratitude in our daily lives is at least one way we can break down the walls of anger and distrust around us.
Prayer for the Day
God of light, enter into the dark recesses of our souls,
For we hide from ourselves, our anger, our fear, our despairs;
Enter into us, opening to us a vision of your care and love,
Enabling us to see the possibilities of what we can be.
Empower us to move beyond our blindness to your healing love
And expand our vision of what we can be and do.
In the name of him who opens us to all possibilities,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.
A.A. Milne, English writer, from Winnie-the-Pooh (1882-1956)
Gratitude is a humble emotion. It expresses itself in a thousand ways from a simple thank you to a stranger to the acknowledgement of our existence to God.
Faith Baldwin, American writer (1893-1978)
O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving,
Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord with songs of praise.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods.
In God’s hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are God’s also.
The sea belongs to God for God made it,
And the dry land, which God’s hands have formed.
Psalm 95: 1-5