THE COMPANIONS

God of Loving kindness, let me fix my eyes on you,
that seeing your unutterable goodness and love, all
else will fall away. May my heart be single and filled
with your light, knowing that, if I am focused on you,
everything else will take its proper place. Thank you
for this gift of simplicity.
Alinda Stanley, SCHC

THANKSGIVING: SUNDAY AND EVERY DAY

Thanksgiving to God for the life and many gifts of poet Wendell Berry,
as the poet and critic Robert Pack noted — for his “quiet but sure and melodious voice,” as he celebrated the natural world’s inspiration, sustenance, and consolation.
Kay Evans, SCHC

SIMPLICITY OF LIFE: MONDAY

Monday blessings: Give thanks
for tasks with beginning and end,
for quiet companionship, for a letter from a friend,
for rest and refreshment, for body and soul,
and for love in silence, at day’s
end.
Clare Keller, SCHC

UNITY OF ALL GOD’S PEOPLE: TUESDAY

Creator God, help us each day to remember that you
made us part of all that is. Expand our awareness of
the needs and concerns of all our kin, human and
more than human. Open our senses to the awesome
diversity of your creation, from plankton to pine trees
to people and all manner of land, creatures, plants, air
and water. Fire in us your just and mighty love so
that we may pray and work for the common thriving
of all. We ask this in the name of your son Jesus, the
firstborn of all creation.
Deb Baker, SCHC

SOCIAL JUSTICE: WEDNESDAY

Blessed Jesus, source of all love, please help us to show those who are struggling to survive that they are worthy of our love and care. When I see someone who does not appear to have a place to sleep, or enough to eat, or the resources to stay clean and warm, remind me to look into their eyes and really see them as the child of God that they are.

Let me help them, while acknowledging the hard work that they do every day just to stay alive. Let me look at them with love, not pity. And let me do it all for you, because you show us all your love and care every day.

Polly Gosselin, SCHC

PEACE & RECONCILIATION: THURSDAY

As we become older, we more and more discern the
staggering amount of discord in our world and the
still greater need for reconciliation. I am only one
person, yet uniting with other like-minded people and
with the grace of God, I can work toward
reconciliation. Let me do so.

Ruth Hanham, SCHC

GROWTH IN SPIRITUALITY: FRIDAY

Childlike wonder. Whoa moments. It doesn’t take a
lot for me. I have whoa moments all the time at
home: a good night’s sleep; a nap; the smell of
homemade soup on the stove or the smell of pumpkin
bread baking; cardinals gathering at the feeder and
squirrels scampering in the garden. I am so thankful,
Lord; I am blessed beyond measure!

Trish Hanna, SCHC

PRAYERS PERSONAL AND GENERAL: SATURDAY

Compassionate Lord, we beseech your mercy on all
the peoples of Nepal and nearby areas, suffering from
horrendous floods and mudslides. Provide wisdom
and strength to those who search for the lost, and to
those who strive to restore some sense of order.
Please give courage and peace to all who suffer the
loss of loved ones. Let our cry come to you, most
gracious Lord.

Laura Drum, SCHC