Parents Prayers

Prayers of My Parents Written on Index Cards

Exchange Club

Our roles

5/18/04 Our Father in heaven we come again troubled and anxious about violence and our role as a nation in terms of world peace.

Sustain and support the leadership of all nations that labor on behalf of peace and help each of us here to increase our understanding and acceptance of others. Amen

Am I troubled and anxious about something as well as my role in the something? Too often, social media blasts out the former and leaves out the latter. Do my social media contributions do the same?

This photo captures Dad’s prayer at Exchange Club in front of a teapot I brought back for Mom from Denmark. In the far back is an old breadboard from Germany. I don’t recall either piece ever being utilized for their designed role. The teapot was in a cupboard display, the breadboard hung on a wall. Attractive, but not what the maker intended.

My Maker intended more for me than decoration to the world. At this age, the decorations seem more appropriate for the end of October, but then, that is another rabbit trail.

Places that matter in our community

Our Father, we give our thanks for the warmth and beauty of this day – for this place and its importance in our community. Sustain, support and comfort those in need of your Grace this hour. Amen

Not sure, but I would guess this was a prayer given in the Bowling Green Country Club, where the Exchange Club used to meet. It was also where we held Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary party. It was also where we went for dinner when we returned home to visit with our children.

It was a simple, friendly casual “country club,” not what you might first assume. It was important to the community. It was important to my family.

What places would I compare that to now? Do I have a comparably important place to my family?

The one place I think of would be the far right side of the bleachers, where the high school band sits.

Where else have we congregated?

Things yet to be accomplished

4/5/05 Our Heavenly Father – for the warmth and beauty of this day, we give you our thanks. Bless again our meeting here this day – remind us to be about things yet to be accomplished – to be sensitive to the feelings of others and to be ever grateful for life itself. Amen

Not sure today will offer warmth, the wind for April, has been horrendous.

The things yet to be accomplished, however, are guaranteed. Seeing them means I am looking forward, not behind me. Once I see, then the tool selection process begins. Some tasks require a needle and thread, some a pencil with a big eraser. Some require professionals with really big tools.

Looking forward, carrying a toolbox.

Heavily Edited

3/27/01 Our Father, hear again our thanks for this day – cause us to use it wisely and to share our gifts with others.

Make stronger our faith, in Thee and our trust of others – remind us to forgive and forget and to be about our objective of serving this community.

Amen

Like most change we wonder “why?” Why now? Why this? Why that?

Why this word?

I’m left to wonder. But I love that even my father polished his words, few that they were.

So today I start with a blank page of what may befall.

What came to me, while doing the pour over coffee ritual is what if the surface Facebook could be a Soul book and we could really go deep with each other.

I read desperate things and feel at a loss to return in kind. How do we learn to do that? With our neighbor or with others close to us, let alone people we don’t know directly.

That is serving our community at their deepest need.

Polishing takes roughing up or tumbling…

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