On My Desk

We had several house guests this weekend. Our Diocesan Convention met in my town, so my in-laws stayed with us Friday night. Then, on Saturday night, our sweet and cute godson came to stay overnight. Since he is only 22 months, he brought his parents - good friends of ours from my home church in Ann Arbor - and his super fun three-year-old brother. It was a blast, and even though our house isn't very baby-proof, we think they enjoyed the visit. It turns out that an empty but finished basement makes a pretty good race course, and that running up and down provides hysterical entertainment for a good forty-five minutes!

Anyway, to accomodate all our visitors, I promised Luke that I would clean my office (a.k.a. - the Spare Room). This meant actually taking my books out of the boxes, and putting things on shelves to create floor space. In one of the boxes, I found a small picture frame holding the prayer of Saint Francis. I framed several of them for my discernment committee, just four years ago. It seems like another lifetime - and indeed, is signed under my maiden name, as if it was another person who made these small gifts. I knew that I had to put the frame on my desk at work, to try and remember why the prayer was so important to me four years ago. I am sure that its significance has changed, but I just can't quite put my finger on the difference.

Pehaps this prayer will stir something for you as well.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that weare born to eternal life. Amen.