Dear God,
A new day has begun. Once more, I can begin anew and be a channel of your grace in the world. Let me not be too busy to stop and breathe deeply and feel you life-giving Spirit in me. Help me to care for myself so that I may care for others with more energy and joy. Renew me from within that I may live each moment of this day with a fresh and vibrant resolve to serve you and others with humility and compassion.
I pray this in the name of Jesus, who is alive forevermore. Amen.
Streams of water flow –
I observe and meditate,
praying with my heart.
Is it possible to be kind and not be a pushover? By kind I mean, relating with others with respect and calmness even when confronted with wrongdoing or a mean attitude. By pushover, I mean not being easily swayed or influenced by someone in order to please or placate the person even if you disagree with him or her. In my experience of following Jesus as a disciple, reading the Bible and praying for the Holy Spirit, I believe it is possible to be kind and not be a pushover. How? I suggest three things.
Good morning, dew drops!
You who kiss the ground and grass
and melt under the warm rays of the sun
while golden maple leaves flutter
down…
down…
down…
and I watch from my window
in grateful wonder.
Dear God, can I be a dew drop for a few moments?
Let me melt into your warm presence
and bask in the gentle rays of your love.
copyright 2020 – Carla A. Romarate-Knipel
You and me.
We.
Together.
Let us dance while the storm is raging
Even if we step on each other’s toes, let us keep looking
into each other’s eyes.
Let us feel the beat in our hearts,
that rhythm of love that won’t give up
the music of memories that holds us up
unbowed
unfazed
by the gloom.
copyright 2020 – Carla A. Romarate-Knipel
Eagles spread their wings
soaring, gliding, way up high –
unfazed by the sun.
copyright 2020 – Carla A. Romarate-Knipel
The peaks of mountains
are covered by raging fire –
burning trees, crying.
Thank you God for fall
with its radiant reds and golds
crisp air and apples!
Dear God,
Today may I be kind to others and myself.
May I share compassionate silence as a gift
in a world overloaded with noise.
Help me to find You in the quiet spaces of the day.
In the name of the One who spoke to Elijah, the prophet
in the sheer silence.
Amen.
English:
liquid love flowing
from a porcelain vessel
shaped to hold
warmth and comfort,
…each sip
soothes the soul.
Hiligaynon/Ilonggo:
inom-inom sang cha –
ga-isahanon apang masadya!
tumalagsahon ini nga tini-on
sa katapusan sang panag-on.
Akon ginapasalamatan ini nga dulot,
gikan sa akon bana,
mapinalangga-on nga kaupod.
Hala sige higop sining matam-is nga ilimnon
samtang nagahanduraw
sang iya matam-is nga pololongon.
Choose Joy: Poems, Prayers and Prose 