Accept Each Day

 "I always liked routine and rhythm.  They help me recognize the gifts that, quite often, we fail to see as gifts because they seem dull and unimportant--essentially, life itself.  Liberation occurs only through acceptance."

and

"One has to accept each day and everything in it as a gift from God, and transform each day into joy.  If all the details of my life...are not giving joy but are only a burden, then it is really my sin, my selfishness, my laziness."

Oh, how I appreciate Father Alexander Schmemann! 

These quotes, particularly the second one, hit home with me the other night when I was reading through his journals.  I have lived this over and over and over again.  I have lived the joy of every single mundane day as well as the burdensome feeling of joylessness that I can trace back to my own sin. There have been excruciatingly difficult days when I felt completely overwhelmed by joy. There have been relatively "easy" days when I have felt cranky and burdened.  The difference truly always seems to be my own attitude, my own willingness to accept each day as a gift. We are given so many opportunities in life, every day, to take joy.  

I pray that God will always give me the grace to transform each day into joy, no matter what the days bring.  Amen.

We Must Risk Delight

"We must risk delight.  We can do without pleasure,

but not delight. Not enjoyment.  We must have

the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless 

furnace of this world."

-Jack Gilbert 

Our Daily Bread

I've been reflecting this summer on this phrase from the Lord's Prayer: give us this day our daily bread. What is daily bread?  I think it's what we need, when we need it....no more and no sooner.  Like the wandering Israelites, we need sustenance, but sometimes we need even more to rely on God and trust that He will give us that sustenance as we need it. Just enough for today. Just enough manna, or food, or money, or courage, or faith, or strength, or hope.

I would truly appreciate prayers for my sweet Dad (pictured here with me as a baby and my Grandma Polly...as well as my beloved Madame Alexander doll...I still have her!).  

We learned last week that immunotherapy has failed for him, and the cancer is now back in his liver, and has also spread into his abdomen, spine, and brain.  His oncologist started him back on chemo almost immediately, and yesterday he met with the radiation oncologist, because he'll have two weeks of brain radiation to try to lessen the numerous cancerous lesions in his brain. And last night he had to spend the night in the ER due to a bit of cancer-related fallout.

My children and I were due to go to Charleston on July 13th, and still plan to hold to that date, but it cannot come soon enough, and if I need to, I'll leave sooner.  

Whole brain radiation is no walk in the park.  Please pray for this sweet guy.  Give him, this day and every day, his daily bread.