Weekly Inspiration (9/13/23)

Quote of the Week

““I celebrate myself," the poet Walt Whitman wrote. The thought is so delicious it is almost obscene. Imagine the joy that would come with celebrating the self — our achievements, our experiences, our existence. Imagine what it would be like to look into the mirror and say, as God taught us, "That's good.””

― Joan Chittister, Light in the Darkness:
New Reflections on the “Psalms for Every Day of the Year"

Poem of the Week

Blessing for Hard Work
by Holly McKissick

What wonder, Holy One,
that Your creatures take such joy in a job well done!
How gracious that we feel such satisfaction
when the leaves are raked and bagged,
the lights are on in the house,
the pie comes out of the oven.
When we stand on a ladder,
brushing paint back and forth, oh, so carefully.
For the inspiration we take, too,
in watching others so hard at work--
the teenager bent over the term paper,
the clerk stocking the grocery shelf...
Let these be merciful reminders
that You have made us
only just a little lower than the angels.
May every effort, big and small,
open us to the holy creation of this earth
and the privileged role we each can play.