A Prayer for the Times

                                               A prayer for the times. I found this on Facebook today. 

I found the following prayer on Facebook this morning. 

God...Keep my anger from becoming meanness...Keep my sorrow from collapsing into self-pity...Keep my heart soft enough to keep breaking...Keep my anger turned towards justice, not cruelty. 

Remind me that all of this, every bit of this, is for love. 

Keep me fiercely kind. 

In the Name of the Holy Three....

Amen. 

I had a talk with my priest earlier this week regarding the faith-full response to people who still refuse to take COVID seriously enough to get the vaccine and/or wear masks during this surge. I am doing my best to follow her advice to find room in my heart for the grace God offers each of us-- no matter what we think, do or believe as truth. But to be honest, all I can muster right now is to not actively hate the people { I know several-- they are not in my immediate circle, thank goodness, but I know them}My priest reminded me that we are commanded by Christ to love all our siblings-in-faith & she is 100 percent correct. But right now-- all I can do is shake my head and continue to love others by doing my part to keep COVID from making more people sick.

This is exhausting work. 

This week I asked my doctor to prescribe generic Valium so I can deal with daily life in semi-isolation. The medication helps turn what would have been unhealthy rage into righteous frustration . I do my best to be a part of the solution, my spouse & I are always masked when we are indoors in public & I see a few businesses requiring employees to mask up at work. { Noted and we'll frequent these places in the future}

COVID has challenged me every day to not morph into an angry, bitter person. While there are days that I AM angry/bitter/pissed off I know I cannot wallow in the negativity. 

Vice-President Kamala Harris write in her autobiography

" Do we retreat or do we fight? I say, we fight. And I intend to fight. " 

COVID may have won a battle-- but the war against this common enemy is far from over. Once again, decent people everywhere are asked to put one foor in front of the other until COVID runs its course { because it will} Our task is to keep the virus from taking as many innocent lives as possible. 

Responsible Americans-- it is time to rise up and fight Stand in solidarity with masked faces. 

Namaste...

~Sarah McCarren 

5 August 2021