In a recent post by Erie, he shared  nurse Kathleen Grannan's inspiring call to "share a moment of really listening, really reaching across the divide, please do so…We owe it to our country to try."  In this spirit and in this season of celebrating and reverencing all of creation I offer this prayer. 

 God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace:
We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath that sustains life,
for the food of this earth that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.

 We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty that the eye can see,
for the joy that the ear may hear,
for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

 We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families who nurture our becoming,
for friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding,
for children who lighten our moments with delight,
and who offer us hope for the future.

 We thank you for this day:
for life and one more day to love,
for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved,
for your grace and one more experience of your presence
for your promise: to be with us,
in every circumstance.

For these, and all blessings
In all that is holy and good. 

We say,
Amen.

– By Vienna Cobb Anderson (adapted)

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel

Mandala by ~liz