Refuge

"In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth" (Psalm 31:1-5). Amen.

The Meeting Place of Two Eternities

"You and I are standing this very second at the meeting-place of two eternities: the vast past that has endured for ever, and the future that is plunging on to the last syllable of recorded time. We can't possibly live in either of those eternities-no, not even for one split second. But, by trying to do so, we can wreck both our bodies and our minds. So let's be content to live the only time we can possibly live: from now until bedtime.' Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall,' wrote Robert Louis Stevenson. 'Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means.' " Dale Carnegie

May I have the strength and the wisdom to live for today, to embrace the gifts of this day and to make today all it can be.  No matter what is happening in my life, I want to choose life and love and joy.  All I can control is my choices day to day, moment to moment. God give me what I need to make the best choices I can for this day.

I still see the beauty of life all around me and I choose to embrace that.

"The Beauties of the Past"

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love.  It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; He doesn't fill it, but on the contrary, He keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communication with each other, even at the cost of pain. The dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation.  But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.  The beauties of the past are borne, not as a thorn in the flesh, but as a precious gift in themselves."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer