Letter 4461

Each day, a fresh start.

Each hour, a new chance.

Each moment, unique to itself.

❖

If I become despondent over an undone task or failed attempt — always is there another.

Let me be grateful for second chances, Lord.

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Consider:

Can I honor my second chance?

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Reading:

❖ “Hope springs eternal in the human breast; man never is, but always to be blest.” — Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

❖ “This life has been given to thee for repentance; waste it not on vain pursuits.” — Isaac of Nineveh, Ascetical Homilies

❖ “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark.” — Philippians 3:13–14 (KJV)

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

~B.R.

Letter 4460

I worked on the gate to my garden for many days. If it was to be the entrance through which others might pass, I wanted it to be a thing of beauty.

Detail upon detail I added, until it no longer resembled what it was: a gate through a fence.

❖

I started again, and only built what was necessary. Passersby look through to see the beauty of the garden. Nothing impedes their view.

The gate swings easily and latches soundly.

Let me revere simplicity, Lord.

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Consider:

Can I avoid complicating things today?

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Reading:

❖ “Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars

❖ “True simplicity regards God alone; it has its eye fixed upon Him, and is not drawn toward self; and it is as pleased to say humble as great things.” — François Fénelon, Christian Perfection

❖ “In simplicity and godly sincerity… we have had our conversation in the world.” — 2 Corinthians 1:12 (KJV)

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

~B.R.

Letter 4459

This simple walkway from my back door to the shed contains multitudes.

A forest growing between the pavers.

Shade, cool, sun, warmth.

A turning awash with a beam only at noon.

Doors on either end.

❖

I knew of all this yesterday.

Today I go again to the shed. What will I discover on the short way?

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Consider:

Can I have wonder today?

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Reading:

❖ “To see a world in a grain of sand / And a heaven in a wild flower, / Hold infinity in the palm of your hand / And eternity in an hour.” — William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

❖ “Praised be You, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom You give us light.” — Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures

❖ “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers… what is man, that thou art mindful of him?” — Psalm 8:3–4 (KJV)

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

~B.R.

Letter 4458

I used to need rescue.

I used to need encouragement.

I used to pine for a second chance.

Now, the gardens have grown, the wood of my dwelling has weathered. It is my life’s autumn.

Did bounty come my way? Did I get that second chance?

The hours trickled into a cistern and I have enough experience that each new day is familiar.

❖

My fondest desire, now, is to slow my pace and appreciate what is around me.

What I wish for is in my grasp. Let me reach for it.

All is well.

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Consider:

Can I slow my walk today?

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Reading:

❖ “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, / Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.” — John Keats, “To Autumn”

❖ “The rose is without why; it blooms simply because it blooms, and pays no attention to itself, asks not whether it is seen.” — Angelus Silesius, The Cherubinic Wanderer

❖ “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

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

~B.R.