When the World Shifts

The Beauty of Others - from 

Our Beautiful World and Universe on Facebook

Kids....

pray.

Pray without ceasing,

even

-and especially-

if your prayer is

simply:

Thank You.

Kids, my thought in writing this was to be mindful about saying prayers of gratitude often, not just prayers of supplication. Because when life is ordinary and uneventful, we don't realize how absolutely blessed and fortunate we are....until something happens.

As I was ready to post we just received word that my sister's friend's   23 year old son  dove off a ledge yesterday into the river and didn't come back up. They didn't find his body till this morning. His mother is in shock, and her everyday world has  transformed to what will be a long journey of grief. My heart goes out to her.

Cherish your normal life with awareness. It all can - and often does - change so swiftly. 

Prayer Beads

I put on today

like a prayer shawl

and count my beads

of gratitude.

True Gratitude

"I prayed
as I was lying
on the stretcher
in the hall,
while they were
giving me sedatives,
before they
wheeled me
in to surgery.
I asked God,
please,
send Your light
to look through
the eyes of the doctor
and his helpers.
Put Your hands
through their hands,
so everything goes
all right.
And He did,
and I just thank God
that He has given me
this second chance,"
she said to me.
"I just
thank God
for everything."

She is elderly and
barely mobile.
She cannot walk
more than
the few steps
from room to room.
Her husband
also teeters
from chair to walker.
He is on oxygen
and she just
had back surgery.

Her conversation
is full of
endearments.
"How are you, habibti?
Are you happy, Sweetheart?
I love you!"
Or, to her husband,
as he teeters out
the back door
to sit on the porch,
"God bless you,
my Sweetheart,"
a distracted blessing,
as her eyes
follow him tenderly
across the room.

"If you pray to God
for something you really
want and need,
you will get it,"
she tells me,
seriously,
looking right
into my eyes.

Today I think
I have seen
true faith,
true gratitude,
from the heart,
more truly
practised
than I
ever have
before.

She told me she will
pray for my puppy,
and I thought
to myself,
a prayer from
such a true heart
as hers
will surely
be heard.