Other than some obnoxious purchased fireworks and motorbikes racing down the street, it was a quiet day yesterday. Maybe it’s just me, but I won’t shop on July 4, which was a Sunday this year, but also on July 5, the federal holiday. I strongly believe that workers should be given more than Labor Day and Christmas/New Year’s off.
This weekend was a time to reflect, in between those obnoxious firecrackers, and as I pulled out the weeds – too many of them signals a neglect of the garden – I had to wonder who was doing this kind of work in 1776. New England women did their own gardening – Southern ladies had slaves.
Although gardening may be a respite for some of us who work outside the home, on those hot summer days it is no respite for landscapers who are out there taking care of other people’s lawns and gardens. Over this past weekend they were there sprucing up the gardens of others who could then enjoy their outdoor activities. They didn’t get the either day off.
Prayer for the Day
Seeking a new direction for our lives, O God,
We ask that you be our constant companion;
Searching for new ways of thinking about our world
We need your guidance for much seems confusing and troubling.
Bring us from our past into a future open with possibilities
So we may find delight in being your disciples.
We ask this in the name of him who calls us into discipleship,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
This struggle of resistance is a struggle against violence – against institutional violence which sometimes subtly, sometimes brutally, attacks dignity and life. At stake is the spirit of all our humanity.
From Pastoral Letter, Catholic Bishops of Appalachia
Measure not the work,
Until the day’s out and the labor done.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet (1806-1861)
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
Or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
But their delight is in the law of the Lord and on that law they meditate day and night.
Psalm 1: 1-2