Morning

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Morning

A Morning Offering

I bless the night that nourished my heart
To set the ghosts of longing free
Into the flow and figure of dream
That went to harvest from the dark
Bread for the hunger no one sees.

All that is eternal in me
Welcome the wonder of this day,
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.

I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Wave of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.

May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.

May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for

And waste my heart on fear no more.

Quote: John O’Donohue

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the place between

BLESSING FOR THE PLACE BETWEEN

When you come
to the place between.

When you have left
what you held
most dear.

When you are traveling
toward the life
you know not.

When you arrive
at the hardest ground.

May it become
for you
a place to rest.

May it become
for you
a place to dream.

May the pain
that has pressed itself
into you
give way
to vision,
to knowing.

May the morning
make of it
an altar,
a path,
a place to begin
again.

Quote: Jan Richardson
from The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief

Photo: Bud Holland

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the peace of new beginnings

 

The peace of the morning stillness, the peace of new beginnings, the peace of heaven’s kiss, to welcome us to this day.

Each day we open our eyes to a choice. Do we begin the day with gratitude or anxiety?

Morning’s light is a gift. Without any help from us this light appears. We awaken to its presence and feel its call to stir.

We open our eyes to a choice. A choice on how we meet the challenges a new day can bring. There is no doubt that some days begin with sadness or fear or discomfort. These are real and never to be overlooked. Each morning I wake to my dependence on personal assistance and my need for a wheelchair to get around in this world. Recently I’ve been waking to the fact that I do not move around as easily as I once did – that I run out of energy sooner than before. Frustration can easily be near. But to let frustration begin the day can make me feel closed off, quick to live in my anxiety. Instead I try for a simple “thank you”. Nothing long or fancy but a grateful recognition that a new day is beginning.

To seek a moment of morning’s peace is a good way to start each day whatever we are facing. To speak a word of gratitude, whether or not we feel it, places that word as a reminder throughout the day.

 

Quote: Praying with the Earth – John Philip Newell
Image: Chuck Summers

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Broken…

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It is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
Mary Oliver

 

The morning light peers across the horizon. The night has passed.

It is serious to be alive on this fresh morning.

Overnight, bombs have fallen. Overnight, children have wandered in search of their parents. Overnight, hunger continued to blanket a huge and ever growing swath of our world.

The broken is before us.

Can I help, can I help move toward a world that is safe and whole? To be whole and safe… can be done one person at a time, one neighborhood, one city. The only way to understand how this world became so fragile is to dive in.

Fresh and broken- a new day begins.