If you are new to Monday Manna, I’m so glad you are here. My prayer with this little pause on Monday mornings is to offer some nourishment (“manna”) for you — via my reflection, prayer, and painting — as you are nourishing the world around you. Together, we are watching for the ways God is with us and for us as we take one day at a time….
Good morning, friends, and blessings of peace, love, and joy to you today ~
If you’re here in the U.S., it’s a holiday, and hopefully a day off, for you. National holidays like this one can feel layered and complicated — especially this year. I personally am holding space and gratitude for how today marks the deep devotion of people who give their lives to protect others. It’s a day of remembrance, and there are many precious people to remember. Growing up, there was my mom’s tradition of bringing salmon pink and crimson red geraniums to the cemetery on this day each year.
In the spirit of being present to loved ones and yourself (with less time on a screen), today’s post for you is short — just a prayer from my book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life, Second Edition, and some art. I’ll be back next week with a more regular post…
A Prayer
Today marks the unofficial start of summer, and as I think about this new season and the shifts it can hold, I am personally longing for some “breaking free” action in my life. Here’s my prayer for that from my book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life, Second Edition.
When I’m breaking free
Spirit of grace and grit,
You are the Giver of freedom.
I’ve been asking for it.
For years.
For that strength, courage,
and discipline to break free.
But, I’m now realizing
that while freedom
sometimes comes in
one, glorious breakthrough
where I burst through the
bramble into a fresh clearing,
never to turn back or tread the old path,
ready to leave the darkness
of the forest behind me…
Well, that’s just not been my experience.
More often, freedom comes
through a muddy trail run where I’m
weaving and winding,
not always moving forward,
but continually progressing.
The dirt sticking to the crevices of my shoes,
the roots I knead with the soles of my feet,
the pine needles collecting in my hair,
teach me what I so wanted to leave behind
actually becomes my story.
And, how, with you,
there are no dead ends or pointless loops.
They are part of the journey…the story….
And, I need them.
When I can take in
what dim light I find
within the trees and
keep making each step
on the uneven trail,
I learn to trust.
To trust I am not lost,
but burrowed in a womb
of life-giving mystery.
And, you say,
“You are already free.
Now live into that truth.”
Amen.
Psalm 118:5 * John 8:32 * 2 Corinthians 3:17
“[Jesus said,]… ‘[Y]ou will know the truth, and the truth will
make you free.’” —John 8:32
May this summer bring some “breaking free” action in your life, friends. And remember, everything that’s come before this gets included, and is part of the story. No dead ends. No pointless loops. It all belongs.
Let’s live into freedom together.
Love and Light,
Arianne
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