Seems like we have a lot of worry warts in our group, especially me. Lot’s of people thought I wrote yesterday’s meditation just for them .One person sent the following:worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its joy.

So I begin this meditation with a prayer most of us are very familiar with:Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep....

At the end of a tough day — and at times they all seem to be difficult — we want a little rest, a little serenity to help us through the night. Tranquility, wholeness, serenity (whatever word brings you the most peace) is what we all desire. It is not something money can buy. Nor can we get it from anyone or anything else. The key to inner peace lies deeply buried inside the self. We have to work at releasing the potential of tranquility that is locked inside each of our souls.We ask God to guide us, to help us. So in the morning, feeling renewed, we are ready to begin again. Can you remember the last time you felt refreshed and totally alive after a good night’s sleep? Have you seen in the eyes of a child waking in the morning the alertness and excitement of greeting a new day? Do you long for that feeling?We long for that essence of Shalom, a release from the worldly burdens in order to be at peace with ourselves. As we prepare ourselves for sleep, release the potential for serenity that lies locked away inside your soul. Begin with a prayer.

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

It is always a question of a moment, for the pain which is has passed is no longer, and who would be so foolish as to concern oneself with future pain. -- Translation of an old football coach’s admonition that I get out there and realize “ I didn’t know the difference between pain and injury.”

To answer my coaches question (all together now!): We would.So much of our time and life is wasted fretting over horrors that never occur — or if they do occur, don’t seem quite as terrible as we thought they would be. And what about all that bad stuff that just hits us out of the blue? Should we set aside sufficient time time to worry about that too? Worrying has got to be the most useless emotions around. It does nothing constructive — although in our hearts, we somehow feel that worrying about things might prevent them from happening. In reality, worrying about life prevents joy from happening. Let go of the pain. It does not help. Just let it go.

Webb

People stumble, people fall, and people rise again. -- W. Hubbell –3/10/2008

Yes I watched tonight’s news. We all stumble, we all fall. We are all really lucky. Each of us has a story to share. The story may not be what was on the evening news, but each of our stories help us find our way through the wilderness.Mistakes are a vital part of learning. Like the angels on the ladder in Jacob’s dream, we are either going up or going down — it is our direction that is important.Sins are “errors of our ways” but only if, and its a big if, we amend our ways. This notion of “ descent for the sake of ascent”, is essential to our core faith because it imbues even sin with redemptive value. Some say “failure to repent is worse than sin. A person may have sinned for just a moment, but failure to repent moments without number.”Share what you have learned by stumbling, and pray that those who stumble can rise.

Monday of the Fifth Week in Lent

Melodies I weave, songs I sweetly sing; longing for Your presence, to you I yearn to cling.

Last week’s meditation on prayer evoked several responses. The person who sent me the above wrote,” This is what I try to do in prayer. I take the words that have been given to me by those who have come before and weave them with my own, hoping the melody I write in my heart brings me closer to God.”We all long for God’s presence in our lives; even though, we (especially some of us Episcopalians ) are not comfortable admitting it. Such a recognition helps provide meaning and direction in our life. For some, this is the most difficult step. We aren’t used to talking about God. We may just be afraid that if we accept our longing for God’s presence in our lives we will lose self. The truth is that when we accept God, we regain self.