even the common, aflame.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thornbush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

- Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918)



photo provided for artistic consideration by: ali zeeshan ijaz

thank you, on being: blog for sharing this prayer orginally

tatramajjhattata.

Eagle Poem


To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadly growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.


- Joy Harjo
from In Mad Love and War


photo made available for artistic consideration by lorne sykora

each morning.

regardless.
the birds sing each morning.
surely, they have something to teach
us.

selah.

In a world where there are people
who assume you no longer exist,
I am compelled to proclaim Your praises, O God.
I cannot define or describe You,
But I know by personal experience
Your power and presence in my life.
There was a time when I screamed,
"Good Lord, where are You?"
Then you touched my despairing soul with healing,
and delivered me from my private little hell.
Thus I shout God's praises
and exhort all who know Him to do the same.
There are times when I feel God's anger,
but even then I know
His concern and love for me remain eternal.
And my nights of despair
resolve into the dawn of new joy.

There was a time when I thought I was secure
amidst my material accumulations.
However, they gathered like a cloud
to blot out the face of God,
and I was left empty and unfulfilled.

I finally came to my senses
and returned to You, O God.
"Lord," I said, "my well-deserved damnation
would also be a loss to You.

I cannot praise You from the pits of hell
or proclaim Your loving-kindness
out of the grave of eternal death.
So have mercy, Lord,
and help me out of this tangled web."

And You turned my griping into gratitude,
my screams of despair into proclamations of joy.
Now I can explode with praises,
and I will spend eternity in thanksgiving to You.


- the 30th Psalm, the Bible -
[translation: Psalms/Now by Leslie Brandt]

gratitude for abundance.

for each breath today. thank you.
that my eyes can see today. thank you.
for food and strength to eat today. thank you.
for clothing and shoes and a job to ready for today. thank you.
for every time the world smiles at me today. thank you.
for my heart that feels so deeply even as it is broken. today. thank you.
for the comfort of knowing that even when there was no one to turn to, i was never alone. thank you.
for carrying me - always - like a mother with child. today. i thank you.
for sanctuary like a bird finds shelter in the strong arms of a tree. thank you.
for sweet, sweet, peace when i would grow anxious. thank you.
for even the chance to thank you. i say today. thank you.

thebestweekendever.

andjustsoyouknowthereisnothingsweeterthanforegoinglaundryforspendingtheeveningwiththedearestofanamcaraswatchingmindbendingmoviesaboutthemysteriesofhumanconnectionandsensuality,talkingbooksandtextmessages,andbecoming,anddreams,andreading,andallthreeofusonourownlaptopsononecouchtogether,anddrivinghomeatmidnight,andwakingtonpr[sundaymorningmyritual]andmakingonefrenchpresspotofcoffee,anddrivinganhoursouthforanearlylunchwithtwofriendswhoarelikesisterswhowalkwithmethroughmyeverydayeventhoughinevergettoseethemenough,andsittingandtalkingofthewondersofbecoming,andthemanifestingofdreams,andthefixingofvision,andthehopeforthemostbeautifuloftomorrowsinthecelebrationofnin'ssomedaycomingchildwhowewillallmothereventhoughweareevennowjustlearninghowtofullybeourselvesandstill,wewillalllove,andimbueherchildwithallthebeautyandloveweareonlynowcomingtolikebeggars,likeragamuffins,tothefeastofspiritwhichyou,ohloverofoureternalsouls,arealwayslayingbeforeus,wewillfixourvisiononthebestyouhaveforus,wewill.

grateful.

20 mile bike ride along the beach with my mum and da'

+

getting soaked on the road in a summer rainstorm

+

returning home and calling my brother in denver

+

giggling through the grocers' with mum

+

cooking dinner for my folks

+

tinkering with my da' on my bike and fixing its first flat tire

+

spending the whole day with my fam

=

the most beautiful holiday

cistern, will you remember?

[sur cette ancienne colline passé le domaine de l'oublier quand votre esprit est libre dernier dans la connaissance de l'être aimé]

...ou allez-vous lancer à jamais ne plus se souvenir?

all i can say is...

...i love friends who come back to work
to pick up my bicycle-riding-stranded self
in the midst of a late-afternoon thunderstorm,
and who treat me to homemade
chickpea flour pizza before making sure
i'm delivered home safe and dry.

[i am truly a fortunate girl]