For One Who Is Unable to Leave the House

For One Who Is Unable to Leave the House

When the world has folded in
and left you stranded in your own home,
may you remember that you are not alone.
While you are not living as freely as you once did,
may you remember that you are held
in the earnest circles of prayer, 
by someone who may not know you,
and yet loves you, dear Child of God.
May you be free of the harsh filter
that would narrow your vision into pain and criticism
so that you see in your past a trail of fruit and wonder,
God’s goodness as it has unfolded throughout your life.
Even now, as you live with loss, may the angels
soften your sitting, your resting, your dreaming
and open for you the flowers of beautiful thought,
reminding you that you have gifts yet to give—
kindness, love, and the enduring leaning toward God.
 

 

This poem is dedicated to those whom I know and love who are no longer able to leave their house freely and are living within the space of their home. It’s also my prayer for everyone I don’t know who suffers the loneliness and isolation of having an illness or injury that keeps them from participating in the life they once had. May you be blessed.

~Cheryl

 

Swan Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash.

Mother and Child Photo by Cheryl Racanelli. San Alfonso Retreat House.

 

 

 

 

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Prayer for Lying Still

This poem is for a dear friend who is lying still, and is my prayer for anyone in turmoil over unwanted stillness.

 

Prayer for Lying Still

If illness calls you to lie still,
may you do so with grace.
If it becomes a permanent requirement
of extended periods of stillness and solitude,
may you accept it with grace.
If your mind in these times
finds no resting place,
know that I have been inside that tornado—
that cyclone in a crypt—
and that I have been there many times,
forced to go there again and again.
So when the cows and eighteen-wheelers fly by,
look for me in the swirling mess,
a mental wayfarer and companion
on this reluctant journey.
Let us lock eyes for an instant,
and when the winds die down,
may we both land with grace.

Peace with where you are today

Dear One,
You are not meant to heal yourself with your thoughts alone.
Let it be that your thoughts and your prayers open up possibilities.
Perhaps one opening might be that you live at once with illness and grace.
Living with illness and grace does not negate or preclude the possibility of recovery.
It simply means to be at peace with where you are today.

This most beautiful rose in the last day of a Month of Light and Roses is dedicated to Our Lady Queen of Angels.