Write a Prayer-a-Day Project

Today may we move through the transitions of our lives with grace, dignity, and gratitude.  May we keep our fears at bay.  May we rejoice at change.  May we accept new challenges.  May we own our limitations.  May we practice self-care.  Our lives are a long road-trip: we need fuel, maintenance, endurance, and rest stops.  The goal is the journey as much as the destination.  There is much to see and experience along the way.  Quirky roadside attractions hold much magic and surprise.  So don’t be in a hurry:  take the time, and make all the stops along the way.  For this magic and amusing journey, we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.  

Let us gather together today in friendship, community, and love.  Let us feel the presence of each other.  May our defenses drop and our authentic faces become known.  May we enjoy the fruit of creativity and color.  Let us break bread and feed each other, not only for physical sustenance, but also to nourish our souls.  May we laugh long and loud.  May we reflect on deeper meaning.  May we shed tears of mutual recognition.  May we Be together.  For the gathering of the tribe, we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

In the search for truth and meaning, it is a mistake to seek absolutes.  Both are fluid, and sometimes topical.  Our truths of today may not hold true tomorrow.  We walk this spiritual tightrope, where balance is paramount.  Herein is the truth and meaning we seek: that in spite of winds that blow, and in spite of gravity, in spite of aching muscles, and fears of falling, we move forward, one tentative step at a time.  On this existential high-wire, we cling to the pole that maintains our balance.  That pole is community, faith, hope, and love.  No matter which way we sway, the pole will set us right.  There is truth and meaning enough in that to sustain us.  For balance we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Sometimes prayer is found in dreams.

Sometimes prayer is found in the thoughtful actions of others.

Sometimes prayer is found in disturbing images.

Sometimes prayer is found in the beauty that surrounds us.

Sometimes prayer is found in hard work.

Sometimes prayer is found in a gentle touch.

Sometimes prayer is found in our children’s eyes.

Always prayer is found in action.

May today be a prayer-full day.  For this possibility we are thankful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

In the name of all we are, all we have been, and all we are called to be:

May our blessings be manifest;

May our courage be sure;

May our strength be constant;

May our compassion run deep;

And may our prayers be brief.

For All may we be grateful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Often we speak of gratitude as an admirable virtue, but what precisely is ‘gratitude?’  Surely it is more than simply being thankful.  Perhaps gratitude is about holding a deep appreciation of just how miraculous is our existence.  There must be some recognition of the interconnected relationship we share.  Gratitude calls us to live in right-relation with each other: if we don’t affirm each others inherent worth and dignity, how can we possibly be grateful?  If we listen but fail to hear each other, gratitude is not possible.  If we reserve our love for only those who are most like ourselves, our capacity for gratitude diminishes.  Let us today begin to truly practice Gratitude as more than just being thankful or feeling lucky for all we’ve received; gratitude is a conversation; gratitude is a transaction.  Begin by paying it forward, and it will return in abundance.  And for that, we are truly Grateful, unto death….and beyond.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Today may we seek out the in-between spaces of our lives, that we may fill them and live into wholeness.  May the space between I want and I can be filled with action.  May the space between I hurt and I am healed be filled with forgiveness.  May the space between I hate and I empathize be filled with recognition.  May the space between I am unworthy and I am remarkable be filled with revelation.  May the space between this is not enough and this is abundant be filled with reconciliation.  May the space between I live and I die be filled with gratitude.  And may the space between you and me be filled with respect, support, and love and more love.  For the masonry of living creating complete structures of Be-ing we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

Let us never take for granted the gifts with which we are bestowed:

The gift of friendship.

The gift of health.

The gift of thought.

The gift of senses.

The gift of community.

The gift of memory.

The gift of the earth.

The gift of life.

The gift of prayer.

For these and the infinite other gifts continuously revealed we give thanks.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

In accordance with our mandate for living, may we be kind in all we do this day.  May we treat others as we would be treated.  May we jump to compassion rather than conclusions.  May we find a moment for stillness and silence.  May we laugh out loud.  May we love out loud.  May we be forgiving of ourselves as well as of others.  May we live an honest and authentic day.  For simple prayers we are grateful.  Blessed Be, and Amen.

This day promises delight and surprise!   There is no telling what discoveries lie ahead, but undoubtedly we will not be the same person tonight that we are this morning.  May we be open to revelation,  continuously revealing itself, unfolding the secrets of love and being.   For these discoveries we give thanks.   Blessed Be,  and Amen.