Letter 4412

Do my responses match my circumstances?

There is fog and drizzle, while I despair of ever seeing the sun.

My candle nears its end, while I worry over penury.

Equally, a stranger nods to me in the crowded square, and I imagine a great friendship.

My emotions are out of proportion.

❖

Bring my inner life into line with the world, Lord, and let me meet it eye to eye.

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Consider:

Can I respond in greater proportion to the world?

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Reading:

❖ “Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.” — Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

❖ “Equanimity is the mark of a soul that has found its center.” — Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

❖ “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” — Philippians 4:5 (KJV)

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Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

Letter 4411

Morning light through the window falls in a golden pool. The dew on grass is like a grey blanket.

I look and look for you, Lord, yet you are already here, in the shape of a leaf.

❖

Let me open my eyes to you.

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Consider:

Can I see you already here, in the details of my day?

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Reading:

❖ “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

❖ “The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it.” — Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer

❖ “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” — Psalm 19:1 (KJV)

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Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

Letter 4410

I encountered the aftermath of storm and gnashed my teeth.

I reflected in what was to be rebuilt, and dreaded the work.

I saw the rainbow and shouted with delight.

❖

The time passes and my mood shifts.

God, let me wait for a new feeling.

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Consider:

Can I remember that how I feel will change?

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Reading:

❖ “One must have chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” — Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

❖ “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” — C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

❖ “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” — Psalm 30:5 (KJV)

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Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.

Letter 4409

Let me have greater love for you, Lord, greater devotion. My days have become barren, the countryside has lost its warm glow.

These are the days of gray duty — let me now redouble my efforts at finding and abiding with you.

❖

Let me have more devotion, Lord, now and here where I need it.

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Consider:

Can I sit still and seek you today?

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Reading:

❖ “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen, Anthem

❖ “Aridity is often more profitable than consolation.” — John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul

❖ “My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” — Psalm 63:1 (KJV)

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Thank you for for reading. If this helped you today, please consider sharing it.

~B.R.