Take everything to God in prayer....

Dear God,
In the morning…… let me be thankful for the floor on which I place my feet. Strong,
dry, solid…maybe even dirty… but waiting for me to stand … and see the day ahead
of me. Let me give thanks for the sun rising and giving warmth to this Earth,
whether we see it in the glistening of the dew on the leaves and grasses that rinse
themselves with moisture and give a sip of water to even the smallest of insects, or
whether it’s shrouded in gray cloud or cotton-like fog, or whether it’s smugly sitting
above the rain drops and rain clouds…giving off it’s radiant sunlight beams
somewhere else. Let me rest assured in the morning… that this day has begun, and I
am in it.

In the mid-day…… Let me give thanks for the energy I have been given, whether it is
to simply trudge through my mail and sort and file, or to sit and listen long enough
for the birds outside to welcome me into their world on Earth, let me give thanks for
the rest from last evening’s darkness to get through these past few hours.. ….
Whether they were restful --- or restless. …let me give thanks for even the most
mindless events, the important tasks, those small moments where I found
something to laugh at, feelings of love, handfuls of thoughtfulness…all that have
come my way … ….. For pausing, for taking deep breaths, for each heartbeat. For
food that sustains me throughout this day that I’m experiencing… whether it’s a
grand meal hot and steaming to sustain me throughout the afternoon, or a few bites
of leftovers from last night’s goodness, enjoyed again thoroughly, made especially
for me, or made by myself… just the way I like it. Let me give thanks for all that I am
experiencing while the sun is directly over me…and seems to be saying.. the day is
still here for you.

In the evening’s darkest….. let me have the strength to rest and calm my body and all
it’s hard-working parts, let me enjoy the dark and the noises slowly quieting
down….let me truly appreciate it wrapping around me gently, while it cloaks me in a
blanket of comfort and peace. Let me allow the sun hiding away another night, for
me to feel like it’s for my benefit…stepping out for a few hours, and reassuring me
that it will rise again…. to encourage me to stop, to pause, and to realize I was given
another day to begin with just this very morning a few hours ago…. Whether it was
boring, tedious, exhausting, troubling, exhilarating, exciting, or thrilling with
moments of awe and amazing disbelief. And though I may struggle with concerning
thoughts, with pain, with fear or with worry, let me know in my heart and in my
mind that rejuvenation comes with quiet, rejuvenation comes with rest,
rejuvenation comes with sleep, comes with gratefulness, comes with the new
morning’s light waiting for me. …. To place my grateful feet on the strong and dry
and solid floor again…and greet a new day with grace and mercy, and thankfulness.
AMEN

Betsy Baker Newell

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