Category: Thanksgiving

Psalm of Thanksgiving

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High
To declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning,
And Thy faithfulness at night.”         Psalm 92: 1-2

 

O Lord, thank you for the solitude of these moments,
For the quietness that soothes my mind from the busyness of the day.
Thank you for these moments of interlude between those of action
That allow me to reflect and remember.

Almighty are You, O Lord,
Yet Your lovingkindness and faithfulness are for all generations.
For in Your goodness you have created a place for us,
A place in creation filled with the beauty of the rose and the freshness of the dew.

Your creation reminds me of the gentleness of Your hand, dear Lord.
The rhythms of the seasons teach me of the forces you have set in motion,
Those motions of change set in a secure movement of divine fashioning.
For in the uncertainty of this world I can trust in the sovereignty of Your will.

O Lord, thank You for Your hand of fashioning.
That way in which You gently form and shape our souls,
For the joys and sorrows in this present time
Which move us from simple creature to eternal being.

Gracious are You, O Lord,
For the way You provide us with companions for this journey,
For the gift of relationships that care and support us,
For the pictures and experiences of love in the here and now
that remind and teach us of Your great eternal love for each of us.

Your grace reminds me of Your wonderful faithfulness, dear Lord.
A Rock before all others, unmovable, that speaks of abiding truth.
For I can place my confidence in You, O Lord,
For Your lovingkindness and faithfulness are for all eternity.

lem: 11/7/2010

 

“Cornucopia’s Whispers”

A curious shape with open mouth and twisted tail
Spilling forth the harvest fruits as if to say,
“There is no end to the desire for more.”

Enormous even for a bearded Capra
The horn resounds with peals of plenty
To boast the efforts of the earth.

Unusual even more than name
A mouthful at that to say
Which speaks of abundance and overflowing grain.
Brought forth by Heaven-sent sun and rain.

Now rarely seen but at Autumn’s end,
Except for old images of yesteryear, and then
Today replaced by desires of mine,
No place for gratitude, I’ve not the time.

Could there be empty “horns of plenty?”
There must be, though I’ve not seen one.
Somewhere dark and empty, lonely and forgotten they must be.
Abundance lay far away, too far to see.

The image of the empty somehow calls to me.
With open mouth and dusty tail
Need cries a hungry wail
Of hopeless days for many, I see.

What would it take
To fill the empty horn?
To hear its forlorn peal
And bring a blessing to those torn?

The will to act and to abide
With gentle touch and kindly words
With struggles to understand and stand beside
The loveless and forgotten and ignored.

Yes, one of curious shape and funny name
But still it wisely whispers just the same
Amidst my stillness which I adore,
“Abundance could become… so much more.”

lem (23 Nov 16);  (revised 27 Sept 19)