“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me drink.” – Jesus according to John 7:37-39
“The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds” – Thomas Merton
“When I wake, and you are already wiping the stars away, I rise quickly, hoping to be like your wild child the rose, the honey-maker, the honey-vine; a bird shouting its joy as it floats through the gift you have given us: another day.” – Mary Oliver from the poem “More Beautiful than the Honey Locust Tree Are the Words of the Lord” in her book Thirst.
“May I live this day compassionate of heart, clear of word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought, generous in love.” – John O’Donohue
In the morning, first thing, before I look at my phone or turn on the radio, I check the weather, stepping out on the porch with the dogs, feed them, give them a biscuit, say good morning eye to eye, and pet them. Then I make coffee and sip it reading today’s readings from the Daily Common Lectionary. It’s basically selected readings from the Bible based on the cycles of the church year connected by a theme. It includes a psalm, an old testament reading and a new testament reading. If they are interested, I read it to the dogs. Sometimes it feels more meaningful to read out loud. Then I read Richard Rohr’s daily meditation, which is on my phone, so that’s risky. I can crash right into the ditch of news, weather, messages, Wordle–
This morning, since Saturday is the weekly summary of what I’ve already gleaned, I skipped my Rohr and went right to Thomas Merton.
Then, since the day dawned so beautiful, fresh and alive with birds and green leaves and cherry blossoms, and since Chip is out walking the dogs, and I can hear the clock ticking in the silence, I picked up Mary Oliver again ( I left Thirst , her finding God book, on the couch last night) and then said a little prayer from John O’Donohue. I repeated the last verse three times, and I am now ready to love the day and all it brings.
That’s the plan anyway. And if I don’t at least plant that intention how do I expect it to grow?
