Dear friends,
Welcome to this wonderful new day.
I recently came upon an inspiring meditation by Luke McLeod here on InsideTimer.
Luke invited his listeners to drop anchor along the shoreline of the present moment.
I loved the imagery of that suggestion.
The words are something that we could usefully place on a notice above our computer screens or in some place where we will regularly come across the words.
So now for one minute,
Before we prepare to give thanks for the gift of yet another day,
Close your eyes.
Relax.
Let things be.
And please accept Luke's invitation to drop anchor along the shoreline of the present moment.
A one minute pause.
Welcome back.
A question for you.
How can we manage to find wonder in the ordinary and the everyday when we are so blinded by our familiarity with the beautiful and the wonderful?
How can we do this?
How can we renew our sense of amazement and awe?
We can think of our rooms as ordinary and boring until we see them in a reverse image and suddenly we realise what an interesting place is this room of ours.
And we can take for granted too the people in our lives,
People whose love for us is never in question.
Their unfailing loyalty and devotion can lead us to believe,
If we think of it at all,
That they will always be there,
Always around,
Always with us.
When we lose good people like this,
We wish we could have the gift of one more day or even one more hour in which to exchange conversation with the person.
The feeling is captured for us in a song,
Dance With My Father,
By Luther Vandross.
I'm sure you will have come across this song.
Each time I hear that song,
I think of my own father.
I lost my dad when I was 13,
An age when I didn't really understand or appreciate him.
I think how wonderful it would be if I only had one hour to exchange words with him again,
To return the hugs that he gave me,
One hour to ask questions about his life,
To discover what he believed,
What made him tick,
If only.
I'm sure you have had the same experience when you call to mind people whom you've loved and lost,
Especially in the case of a sudden death.
As we know,
We cannot undo the past,
But the lessons of the past can make for a better future,
A better approach to the future.
We are reminded to see the people in our lives and all the many benefits of our lives for the unique and wonderful and temporary gifts that they are.
One idea might be to imagine that you've been living abroad for years,
Out of touch with family and friends,
And at long last you've managed to return to the place where you are now,
The place you call home.
Just imagine that.
Imagine looking around and noticing everyone and everything good about this place.
Pay attention to everything that reminds you that this is home,
This is where you belong,
Your nest,
The sanctuary you can return to at night.
Let's have another one minute pause and after this I'd like to share a prayer with you.
As you may know from my accent,
I live in Ireland and tradition has it that Christianity was brought to Ireland by St.
Patrick around the year 432.
The saint is considered to be the author of a morning prayer,
Which is known as St.
Patrick's Breastplate.
In this prayer,
Patrick calls upon God and all the powers of heaven to take care of him in the day ahead.
We are blessed here in this community,
In Insight Timer,
To have people of many different traditions and we can all enjoy the inspiration that comes to us from hearing about traditions which are not our own.
An example might be the use of the word God.
For some people,
The word God conjures up an image of an old bearded gentleman somewhere out there.
This idea of God can be imagined as an oversized version of ourselves,
An image that's not very helpful at all,
When by his or her or its or their very nature,
God must be beyond description by our tiny minds.
So in the prayer that follows,
Feel free to accept the words God and Christ as representing whatever you consider to be ultimate and the fundamental basis for existence.
St.
Patrick's Breastplate I arise today through the strength of heaven,
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today through God's strength to pilot me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
From all who shall wish me ill,
Afar and near,
Alone and in a multitude,
Against every cruel,
Merciless power that may oppose my body and soul.
Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ to shield me,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me.
I arise today.
Let's have another one minute pause now.
Welcome back again.
So welcome to this wonderful new day.
May you never take the dawning of a new day for granted.
May you find love and happiness and many opportunities for good in this new day and in every new day.
Today may God,
Whoever you consider God to be,
Help you through the challenges and the opportunities of the day.
May your higher power keep you safe and guide you every step of your way.
May you find love,
Inspiration and renewal today and every day.
When evening comes,
May you rest with a heart full of thankfulness,
Content in the knowledge that,
Despite any failings,
You have tried today to be the best you can be.
May you enjoy restful sleep and awake tomorrow with gratitude for the gift of another new day,
A day full of the opportunities that only come to us one day at a time.
Namaste.
Namaste.
