Sunday, August 30, 2020

Dear God,

The wind blew strong.  The sun beat down.  The computer did not want to work.  People could not hear each other as we shouted our prayer requests through cotton masks.  Yet, we worshipped.  We prayed.  We listened to the word and the Word in the outside setting.  And we found you and heard pearls of wisdom, light and hope.  Challenge too.

These are not easy times but as we alter ourselves and the ways we do things, we find you with us, speaking to us, helping us, healing us, holding us, teaching us, comforting us and transforming us.  Gathering on the grounds of your church, staying appropriate distance from one another and wearing our masks enable us to feel your Presence, experience your love and renew our centers.  

Thank you,

God of grace and comfort,

for helping us

find you.

Thank you

for making 

worship possible.

Thank you

for helping 

us change

so we

can do

what we 

think impossible.

Show us

your way,

we pray.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Dear God,

Quiet time gives us opportunity for our bodies, minds and spirits to pause, release tension, breathe in the air of peace, surrender worries and reset our souls for every day living.  Without it we gear up for fight, restlessness, anxiety, conflict and despair.  We desperately need quiet, not just the absence of sound, but silence that allows opening to deep and wide sacred space where we can breathe freely, drink in the spirit of living water, eat spiritual food, weep away our sorrows and gather strength.  There we can listen for the word of hope and serenity and light and peace and joy.  We draw near to you, the source of all that is good, all that is merciful, all that is truth, all that is help and all that is love.  Like a caring parent, we can sit and find respite, love, affirmation, comfort and joy.

Like the psalmist says, "As a deer pants for water, so do we long for you, O Living Lord."  Quiet time gives us the answer to our longing.  It saves us for another hour, another day, another week.  Resting in your divine embrace changes everything, Merciful God, everything.

Holy God,

grant us peace

as we

so long

for it.

Guide us

toward the quiet.

We need you.

Love, Andrea

Friday, August 28, 2020

Dear God,

I heard your whisper to rest, rest from my labor, rest from my worry and anxiety, rest from my fear, rest from my own expectations and needs and rest from all that threatens on the horizon.  And I was too tired to fight.  All day I rested in your care.  I slept off and on all day.  It was your kind of rest, the rest that breathes peace, relaxation and serenity.  Yours is the best kind of rest.

If we begin with you each morning, if we listen for your voice, if we lay down our burdens first thing, if we inquire about your will for our life and if we attend to the vessel of flesh, body, mind, spirit and soul, then we will begin with all we need for our day.  You can rejuvenate, refresh and renew us for what lay ahead.  If not, we push the proverbial boulder uphill all day long.  By nightfall we are so weary and filled up with new concerns, temptations, trials, resentments and more.  Rest can be hard to find and experience.  But with you, we hear the song of hope, love and mercy as our eyes close and our whole self rests in peace.

Help us

find our way,

O Lord.

Help us

trust you more.

Teach us

the lessons

of rest

and peace.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Dear God,

Cool weather whispered the name Autumn and I smiled remembering the way you create the seasons.  Nature listens and follows the prescript design.  Summer is ending and Fall is near.

You constantly remind us how we are people of change.  We were never created to be static people.  We are to grow and change like the seasons.  Summer is a time to revel in the beauty of growth, color and blossom.  But summer knows it is temporary.  Autumn will come dying back all that was glorious in the summer.  It too will radiate with color.  However, it is a time to let go, surrender what was to what is next.  

If we listen to the message of each season, of summer and growth, of fall and death, of winter and hibernation and of spring and new life, we have great opportunities to more fully move into the person you have designed each of us to be.  When we trust you in the emotional, psychological and spiritual seasons, we can rise to new heights, discover new paths and find our way to greater lessons, wisdom and faith.  Who would not want to take the journey?

Everlasting and Eternal God,

you created us

in the beginning

of time.

Now is

the time

for a 

a tune up.

Reshape us

for the

new season

of life,

I pray.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Dear God,

Their voices speak your sound.  They listen, they weep, they comfort.  This morning as my covenant group met by conference call, I told them my granddaughter had attempted to take her life.  Their quiet presence filled my heart with warmth, compassion and peace.  Through them I heard you.

This is as you planned it, isn't it Most High and Loving God?  This is how we find you, in each other.  It is where we find solace and hope.  This is one way we find you, know you, love you.  We need you at such times and circumstances.  Oh how we need you!

Love reveals itself in hard times.  And there is no greater love than yours.  You saved my granddaughter and you are saving us now.  How grateful our hearts are!

Compassionate and Kind God,

how could

we possibly

make it

without you?

How could

we withstand

the fear,

the pain

and the sorrow?

You are God;

there is

none like you.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Love with great gratitude, Andrea

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Dear God,

Sometimes we think we are invincible, masters of our own life, doing what we want without interference.  Yet, faith gives us a different message.  We are children of a living God.  Our breath, our very lives are in your hands.  We are dependent on you.

I learned this message again this week as I broke out with poison ivy.  Spreading from here to there has made for a not-so-exciting life.  I itch all the time.  By the time I received medicine ten days after the outbreak, I realized more and more how I need to trust you to help me understand my place in the world.  I need you, my physician, my pharmacist and all the people in between.  This is your grand design.  You made us for each other.  We are dependent on one another for so much.

Every day experiences teach us the truth of human/divine living.  Even something as simple as a rash can teach us a lesson from the Creator.  I am learning.

Holy God,

thank you

for lessons

of faith.

Thank you

for your help

and your love.

Thank you

for showing us

the way

of life.

Love always, Andrea

Monday, August 24, 2020

Dear God,

This morning at Spiller Farm I stood in the weeds and pulled up beets, deep purple beets.  In one hour I had four big bags.  All the way home I gave thanks for one of my favorite vegetables to home can.

I thought of all the vegetables and fruits I pick, pull or dig up.  Each one is very special and unique.  The color, texture and shape all speak to me of creation and the magnificent way you designed each one.  The taste of fresh, farm produce is wonderful.  I love to clean, cut, cook and can what I pick at the farm.  As I place them in clear Ball jars and put them on the shelf, I am amazed at their beauty.  Each one a different color, texture and shape, they really are beautiful even before I open the jar, cook and eat.  To be sure each jar tells me a story about you.

Creative God,

thank you

for Spiller Farm

and all farms

and farmers.

Thank you

for the way

they tend

to their crops.

Thank you

for the blessing

they are

to all 

of us

who love

to eat them.

Love always, Andrea

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Dear God,

We wear masks to keep each other safe.  It is especially difficult to worship without singing but it is necessary because of the coronavirus.  

I have been a singer since I was a little girl.  I especially love to sing hymns.  When I sing, I sing for you.  I give thanks and praise.  I pray with music.  It is just part of who I am.  But now I have to make the sacrifice to keep people safe so our worship services no longer includes sung music.

Today the music was played by a violinist and pianist.  It was beautiful.  Because it was familiar to me, I couldn't help but hum the music behind my mask.  I closed my eyes and imagined singing.  But even more than that, I remembered the scene of my sacred dance when the last song was played.  It was the very song I danced to following my renewal leave in 2005.  I danced to give thanks, to show my gratitude but also to celebrate the good gift of a Lilly renewal grant given to my church and me.

For three and a half months I traveled, prayed, meditated, practiced silence, worshipped, served and celebrated on that renewal leave.  Entitled "Journey with God," I did indeed journey.  I changed.  I forgave.  I surrendered.  I trusted.  I changed some more.  And I sang, I sang at Taize, France, Accra, Ghana, London, England, Taos, Santa Fe, and Abiquiu, New Mexico, Assisi, Italy and every city where I traveled.  I sang because I simply could not stop singing.  Filled with joy to overflowing, the song spilled out and it was all for you, all for you my Lord, all for you.

Today I returned to all those places but most especially to the dance I danced in the sanctuary of my last church, Bethel United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I reminisced in my own mind and found myself dancing in the spirit inside myself.  What a glorious day it has been!

Thank you,

Gracious and Loving God,

for the gift

of song.

Thank you

for today's

wondrous blessing.

I could not

have been filled

with more joy.

You are

the source

of my joy,

my song

and my praise.

Blessed are you!

Love, Andrea

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Dearest God,

Today I feel my many limitations, arthritis in my shoulders, fingers and knees, poison ivy in strange places and difficulty rising from my seated position on the ground in the dirt.  I will soon be 74.  Although I labor long hours many days a week working on creating a spiritual path in the woods, pick fruits and vegetables and home can them and serve as the maintenance worker, homemaker and bookkeeper in my 200-year-old home, I feel those things that press me.  It is a temptation to stop, sit down and never get back up in order to save myself.  But I don't.

Faith is the mystery, the secret to rising up, praying, singing, working, meditating and dancing.  I can do all these things because you are the strength behind, below, in front, up above and around me.  I feel a great desire, a passion really to serve you in earth's vineyard.  I do what I do because I sense your call for me.  When I clear the land, I think of you.  When I pick veggies and fruit, bring them home, wash, clean, chop and can, I think of you.  When I paint the old summer cupboard, at least 150-years-old, I think of you.  Thoughts of you keep me working, playing and expressing my deep gratitude.

On this day as my joints hurt, my body feels weary and I itch and scratch, I still smile because I think of you!

Holy God,

you are

the author

of all

good things.

I am blessed

because you

are the

real reason

I rise

and work

and dance

and pray

and serve.

Thank you,

Mighty, Everlasting God.

Yours, Andrea

Friday, August 21, 2020

Dear God,

Sitting in the dirt pulling weeds, digging out roots and clearing away debris in the woods, I find an extraordinary feeling of your presence.  Sweaty, tired and dirty, I hear your gentle voice reaffirming your life among your people.  How can it be, I ask myself.  How can it be?

But then I know the answer to my own question.  The creator of the world would not leave its own creation.  Of course, you are in the midst of it all.  In the mountains and the sunshine, in the rain and the storm and in the in the beauty of nature and even in the dirt.  It is all yours, O God, all yours.

I can't help but feel a great sense of gratitude for five senses that pick up the signs.  The air I breathe cries out to me of the air of your spirit.  The sweet scent of Applewood burning tells me of your grace.  The touch of trees, flowers and stones draw me close to the earth made by you in the beginning of time.  On this day, in this place, home in the woods I know that I know that I know you are God.  There is none like you and the fact that I know it deep down in my soul makes me all the happier as I consider your nearness.  Today was one of those days where the realization of all this fills me with prayers of thanksgiving.

Blessed are you,

Master Creator,

Comforter and Teacher.

The gift

of this day

reminds of

of the glory

of faith,

its essence,

beauty and hope.

All I want

to do

is offer praise,

praise and

more praise.

Love always, Andrea

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Dear God,

When the sun rises, you call to us with your living presence.  When the sun sets and the night comes with brilliant, shining stars you remind us of your nearness all day long.  These familiar, known events tell us you are present in the world still guiding the cosmos in our presence.

So often we diminish you, O God.  We think of you as a plaything, a small person offering gestures of prayer and someone to cry out to when something goes wrong.  But we forget your awesome power, your gracious and kind love and your ability to chart the world toward goodness.  And when we forget we give in to things that are human-led and awful substitutes.  Then, of course, we rage at you for not rewarding us with whatever it is we want.

We forget.  We forget your love at times when we were lonely or afraid.  We forget your healings, insights and wisdom.  We forget your grace and forgiveness.  We forget your transforming power in our lives.  We forget, O Lord, we forget.

Let today not be a day of forgetting, dear God.  Help us reflect upon this gifted day where and when you are present with us all day long.  Help us breathe in the air of your compassion.  Open our eyes to your inner workings and your lavish gifts.  Show us the amazing moments of creation and the joys of being human.  Lead us to new understandings and better perspectives.  Give us a happy mouth full of gratitude.  And as we fall into bed at day's end may our hearts beat with a sacred rhythm of love and thanksgiving.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for this

new day.

May we

bless you

all day long

as we witness

your loving touch.

Thank you,

dearest God,

for holy moments

of quiet learning.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Dear God,

How does trust become a seed and then grow into a living flower?  What causes it to grow?  What maintains it?

Trust does not come easy, Lord.  How many times is trust broken?  How can it ever be revived?  Yet, you in your grace nourish trust to become so much more.  Although invisible we can taste it, know its power and gentle spirit and believe in it to help, heal and hold us.

Our covenant group has been together 31 years.  Every Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. we gather by conference call.  There we listen to your word, enter into silence to contemplate and pray.  Then we share from our lives while the other three of us listen with spirit hearts.  We affirm, challenge and bless one another.  How?  Because you sowed a seed in us in 1989 and you nourished that seed, watered it and pulled weeds around it.  Then you inspired it to grow and flower.  You pruned it, gave it your son's light and rained down upon it.  It is now in full bloom and continues to grow.

You are

an awesome God.

You create designs

so exquisite

that it

would be impossible

for us

to recreate it.

You give us gifts,

gifts of

great worth.

You bless us

beyond comprehension.

You give us

your love,

the greatest gift

of all.

Thank you,

Blessed One,

thank you.

Love, Andrea 

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Dear God,

She strode down the spiritual path, turning when she saw me standing at the door.  So beautiful, made from your sacred design.  A beautiful deer, all alone leapt into the woods as I stood awestruck by her majestic stance.  You made everything and everyone with your creative, mystical touch.  Eyes, ears, nose, legs...on and on each part so amazing.  I couldn't help but watch her as she disappeared.

Every day I am surprised by signs of your living presence.  In the deer I saw you.  In the waving branches I saw you.  In the sunrise I saw you.  All good things point to you, Loving God.

Thank you

for the gift

of the

gentle deer.

Thank you

for the moment

our eyes met.

Perhaps she

saw you

in me.

Love, Andrea

Monday, August 17, 2020

Dear God,

Today was a lovely day in your spirit!  I stepped inside the spiritual hermitage, a 200-square-foot spiritual house and I began scrubbing the 150-year-old summer cupboard that belonged to ancestors of my husband.  But before I began I paused to pray.  I ran my hands over the old, hand-built, chipped cupboard while I whispered a prayer.  I gave thanks for the builder who took piles of assorted mismatched pieces of wood and put them together.  I thought about the pious housewife who canned vegetables and fruits and placed them in the cupboard, perhaps even praying while she canned.  I expressed gratitude for the cupboard which will hold items to be used while individuals live here on retreat for a few days.  I gave thanks for the privilege of cleaning, scrubbing, sanding, washing and painting it.  

The process of working with this antique cupboard gave me opportunity to think about Harold's family, Christian believers whose lives of faith were evident in everything they did.  I wondered how many prayers were held in each jar of food lovingly prepared and canned by a devout, faith-filled woman, mother and grandmother.  Passed down to other generations, this old, neglected cupboard sat in an enclosed back room for 60 years and then in our garage for nearly 20 years before I heard the call to claim it for a spiritual home for pilgrims who will find there way here.

Blessed are you,

God Most High.

Thank you

for the

summer cupboard

and all

the hidden prayers

it holds.

Thank you

for the invitation

to tend

to it

as I

prepare it

for loving service

once again.

Love always, Andrea

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Dear God,

No one can make the human spirit soar like you.  You can turn us upside down, inside out and right side up.  You can sing us to life.

How many times have I felt myself drifting, afloat on a sea of indecision, frustration and fear?  So many times.  Although I tried it on my own for some time, I knew the only way forward would be to trust you completely.  When I did, when I fell on my face before you and poured out my troubles, you spoke peace to my soul and once again I committed myself to you.  In time I found my way which always leads me home to you.

Some days we just need to pause, give time and listen to the silence, the sacred silence, not just the absence of sound but the silence that is you.  In quiet moments, we breathe in your refreshing spirit, fall backward into your waiting arms and all we want to do is weep, release and let go.  When all that burdens us, holding us down and back is released, we are freed up to rise and rise and rise like a bird that takes flight on the breath of your living spirit.  We soar with them, with you.

Living Spirit God,

thank you

for the gift

of your

gracious, loving mercy.

No one

cares for us

like you.

When we

give you

our will

and follow

your way,

we can surrender

all that 

keeps us grounded.

Then like you

and with you

we rise

and fly

and soar

with your spirit.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Dearest God,

Yesterday was an amazing day!  My friend and I tackled the woods down by the water.  We cut and carried so many dead limbs out of the area and up the hill.  By the end of the day the ferns danced in the wind finally freed up from all that kept them from dancing.

Lord, we are so much like that.  We carry so much "dead wood" in our lives and they too keep us from dancing.  When we are bound up, unable to move, we lose all freedom and ability to do what comes natural.  But when you come along, when you whisper our name and when you offer a way to help us, everything changes.  We can be transformed.  We can be clear.  We can dance.

Holy God,

thank you

for today's 

life lesson.

Thank you

for the gifts

of life

and love.

You are God,

there is

no doubt

about it.

Love always, Andrea

Friday, August 14, 2020

Dear God,

All things grow at your command.  Love is possible because it is your creation.  Faith is trust in a loving, redeeming creator who gives us the power to rise to become the full person you created us to be.

Today as I consider this day, my heart is full of gratitude.  Very early this morning I home canned blueberry jam, all the blueberries you created in the fullness of time.  I made a crockpot dinner, an invention of someone whose mind was open to creativity you designed long, long ago.  I sat with my circle of friends, writers of the bible and books, one from a monk the other from a Catholic sister and I learned at their feet, faith directing me to insight, wisdom and truth.

It is not even 9:00 a.m. yet, I have already witnessed the goodness of your gracious and amazing love, O God.

Blessed are you,

Living God,

for you 

are not only

the author

of all

that is good

but also

all that

is created.

My heart soars

with love

for you,

Almighty God.

Thank you

for the bounty

of your love.

Yours, Andrea

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Dearest God,

I smelled it again.  What is that sweet smell in the air?  I smelled it a few days in my bedroom as I crawled into bed.  This morning at Spiller Farm as I walked down the path to the blueberries, I smelled it again.  I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath; yes, it was the same scent.  I closed my eyes and took it all in.

Perhaps it is the sweet smell of mercy I smell.  What I know is I thought of you as I breathed in the familiar scent.  I thought of how you sweeten the world with your living presence, how you impart love to your children and how you give compassion to the broken-hearted, the frightened and the anxious.  Although I did not recognize the scent, I was certain of the connection between those two holy moments in my bedroom and on the farm.

I am blessed to know you, Holy God, so very blessed!

No one gives

like you,

Loving God,

no one.

Thank you
for the

sweet smell

of mercy

or love

or splendor,

whatever it is

you gave.

Thank you,

Loving God.

Yours, Andrea

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Dear God,

The day is dawning.  This morning when I awakened at 4:16 a.m. it was still dark.  I have to admit I love the time that follows when darkness gives way to the light.  I love to lay in bed and watch the sky change.  Everything takes on a new hue in the light.  It always causes me to want to rise, anticipate and watch the world transform before my very eyes.  No two days are alike, always a little different.

My heart is always full first thing in the morning.  I always have so much for which to give thanks.  The fact that my heart is generally full of thanksgiving brings me great joy and I know where that desire comes from.  You placed it in my soul as I grew in the secret place.

As I consider this day with all its possibilities and promises, all I can do is say thank you, thank you, thank you.

Blessed God,

thank you

for the

early morning dawn.

Thank you

for the air

filled with hope.

Thank you

for the gift

of new life

every day.

Love always, Andrea

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Dear God,

From a tiny seed, flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruits, even humans take root and grow.  It is a miracle, every time it is a miracle.  I learned that lesson again as I sat in the dirt at Spiller Farm picking green beans.  I examined the plants and saw tiny white flowers, the beginning of growth and then I plucked the beans and put them in my sack.  Later at home I canned those beans to cook on a cold, wintry day a few months from now.

Without faith we often miss the miracle of every day living.  We take so much for granted.  We are blinded to wondrous events all around us.  We look at creation and go, "Oh well..."  We forget the ways the cosmos is designed, painted and shaped daily.  Truly, it is a miracle.

As I canned the beans, I whispered prayers, O Lord, prayers of thanksgiving for the color of the bean, the texture and the way it snaps when I break them for the canning jar.  And the taste, oh so good.  Miracle, yes indeed, a miracle.

Thank you,

Father Creation,

for the gift

of green beans.

Thank you

for the soil

that holds them

while they grow,

for the sun

that warms them

and the rain

that feeds them.

Thank you

for the miracle!

Love, Andrea

Monday, August 10, 2020

Dear God,

By faith we find courage to change our story, to become a new story, a better story, a healing story, a reconciling story or a holy story.  Someone once said, "There is a story of hope and you are the characters in the story." When our story changes by faith, it becomes a story of hope.

The sign at the Unitarian Church struck a chord with me as I thought about my own story.  When I reflected back several years, I realized every time my story changed for good, it was because faith was part of the story.  Faith gave me strength to change my story from victim to victor.  As I let you more fully into my life, the more my story changed.  As my story changed, my life became a story of transformation.  And what is transformation but hope realized.

Loving God,

you are

the great

story changer.

You help us

find a

better way.

You show us

a new path.

You invite us

to join you

on that path

to hope.

Thank you,

thank you,

thank you.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Dear God,

I couldn't help myself.  This morning during the outdoor worship I quietly sang the songs played by the organist.  I knew every song so I hummed or sang along even though I was wearing my mask.  It has been so long since I have sung at church worship because of fear of spread of the virus.  I have sung hymns since I was tall enough to stand beside Grandma Hughes when she played them on her old upright piano.  I have missed the old songs.

It is evident you were present in the writing of many of those hymns, some going back a hundred years.  What I have learned is every hymn has a story and those stories are stories of faith.  When I sing, I deepen my faith.  When I sing, peace comes to me.  When I sing, hope comes alive and I let go of my worries.  When I sing, I sense your presence more fully.  When I sing, I am glad to be part of the worldwide church, your beloved community of faith.

Holy God,

thank you

for your spirit

that amazes

and blesses.

Thank you

for worship

and hymns.

Thank you

for this morning

so full

of rich gifts.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Dear God,

So often work in the woods leads to spiritual conversation.  It seems the trees, plants, flowers, stones and even noxious weeds have something to say about the spiritual life.  Roots, those long-forgotten roots of dead trees, frequently have more to say than all the rest.  Each and every thing teaches me lessons of faith.

My friend Susan and I work hard in clearing the wooded space making room for renewal, restoration and reconstruction.  All that had taken over had hidden the priceless jewels from view.  Invasive species had robbed them from sunlight, water and nourishment.  But as we dig and clear, it is as if everything is coming back to life and what joy it brings!

Thank you

for amazing lessons

of life,

Good and Loving Teacher.

Thank you

for the 

spiritual path,

for all

that lives

in our woods.

Thank you

for all

that find respite there.

Thank you

for our work,

the work

of our hands

as well

as our hearts,

spirits and faith.

Love, Andrea

Friday, August 7, 2020

Dearest God,

As we cleared and cleaned the woods for the spiritual path, I carried my loppers ready to cut the limb that lay nearly on the ground.  But...when I stepped closer, I saw the reason she was held down.  Three separate large vines had grown up and wound themselves around the 10' elm tree.  So much so that the vines had cut into the trunk as it grew. There were marks all up the tree.  I dropped my tool and began unwinding all the time speaking to the tree.  I apologized for not seeing the problem earlier and not helping her.  What a thrill it was to set her free, allowing her to lift her limb just a bit.  When a gentle breeze popped up she let her leaves wave in the wind.  A couple hours later I noticed the limb had risen just a bit more.

Oh Lord, my precious elm tree inspired me to reflect on what binds us in life and what keeps us down and nearly immobile.  I realized how much we need each other to help unwind, unbind us.  It was a simple task for me to help the elm and to dig up the nasty vines.  I pray I help others too.

Eternal God,

thank you

for the gift

of the

elm tree.

Thank you

for allowing me

to partner

with you

to help her.

Thank you

for teaching me

a lesson

in faith.

Love always, Andrea

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Dear God,

What an amazing blessing to see you face to face!  As I drove home, I took a shortcut down a very short street and there I passed a young girl on a bicycle.  She smiled a big smile as I drove by.  It struck me how we can see your face in the smiling faces of others.

Day by day you reveal yourself to us.  If we are too narrow in our understanding of your presence, then we never see you but when we open ourselves more fully to you, we find you all around us.  This morning I rejoiced in seeing you in the beautiful, little girl.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for walking

among us.

Thank you

for your

living, loving presence.

You give richness,

joy and peace

every time.

You are God;

there is none

like you.

Love always and forever, Andrea

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Dear God,

Surprises await me on the spiritual path.  While I dig, prune, clear, clean and plant, I find new discoveries, a wildflower, a heart stone or an unusual stand of ferns.  Each and every time you fill me with wonder, joy and gratitude.

This morning Susan, my gardening friend, cut limbs, plucked weeds around a large noxious plant and pulled small branches when she jumped and scampered away.  She called to me and I carefully walked down the steep hill.  There tucked away from the heat of the day was a small, beautifully woven bird's nest.  I stepped over to the amazing gift and saw three tiny sleeping birds.  Concerned they may be afraid, I spoke to them.  I offered them love and compassion and affirmation.  A little later I watched as they awakened and held up their teeny beaks waiting for a mother's love to feed them.

For over a decade I have worked the land as I listened to your gentle, small voice telling me where to work.  Together we have uncovered so many treasures, way too many to mention but you know them, Lord, because you put them there.  Each time I am filled with love for you and blessed by the gem or gems that lay before me.  Only you, Gracious and Loving God, provide such wonders!

Thank you,

Father Creation,

for the beauty

of your world.

Who could paint

such amazing,

exquisite scenes?

Thank you

for calling me

for such

a high purpose.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Dear God,

I love to awaken to your gentle presence every morning.  My first conscious thought is of you, thanking you for a good night's rest, my comfortable bed and the beauty of the morning opening up at early morning's dawn.

How do you provide such richness even before I rise?  Why?  There is nothing special about me.  I am positive I frustrate you with my recurring themes of irritation, loss and complaint.  And yet, you are generous with me.  You tend to my wounds, care for my concerns and challenge me in every area needing correction.  Your gracious love is very evident every single morning!

Glorious God,

thank you

for the gift

of your presence

morning after morning.

Thank you

for morning greetings.

Thank you

for speaking 

to me

all day long.

I am blessed

by you.

Please receive

the gift

of my faith.

Love, Andrea

Monday, August 3, 2020

Dearest God,

As I worked out on the spiritual path, I smelled the scent of Applewood burning.  Although I could not see wood burning, I could smell the scent of Autumn.  Even though it is August, I caught a whiff of red, orange and gold leaves, S'mores cooking over a cool evening's campfire and apple dumplings bubbling in the oven.  (Maybe I am hungry.)

You call us to live in the present moment with you, to cherish the given day and to give and receive the gifts of this day.  At the same time you give us a quick peek of what is to come knowing you are already in Autumn as you are now in summer. 

How wonderful it is to learn from you, to be reminded of your living, loving presence in all seasons at once and to revel in your mercy no matter whether we live in happy times or sad.  Every day you greet us in the morning, walk with us all day long and bid us good rest at night.  As well you are the God of our dreams.

On this particular day I sensed your magnificent and wondrous glory.  I reveled with you!

Eternal God,

you are

the god

of today

but also

of tomorrow.

Thank you

for leading

and guiding us.

Thank you

for blessing us

every day.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Dear God,

I felt the draw of faith as I parked my car in the Masonic parking lot and walked across the street to West Kennebunk United Methodist Church.  It has been five months since I gathered with others to worship.  Our churches had been shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Although we sat in front of our computers to join in worship by Zoom on Sundays, still we didn't feel the presence of one another.  Even though today we sat about 8' from all others, still it was sweet mercy.

We have a longing for one another.  We need companions on the spiritual and emotional journey.  You did not design us to be apart.  Yet, right now we must to keep one another safe.  We must express our love through action by mask wearing, social distancing and staying away from crowds.  We must pray for one another and all those working to keep us healthy.  

This Sunday day was a very special one as I gathered with the flock of Christ and ate and drank spiritual nourishment from your hand.  Yes, a special day.

Holy God,

you draw us together

whether close

in space

or far away

for worship.

You make us

one people.

You speak

to us.

You offer yourself

in encouragement,

compassion and peace.

Thank you,

Loving God,

thank you.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Dear God,

Sometimes we just need a little love.  In this pandemic of isolation, fear and anxiety, we find ourselves needy.  Because we cannot run into the arms of loved ones, we search inside.  Today as I worked on the spiritual path, I dug up a heart-shaped stone.  As I held it in my hand, I felt a surge of merciful love straight from eternity's storehouse.

No one knows our needs like you, O God, no one.  When you look upon any of your children, you know our need before we know it our self and you are more ready to reach out to us than we are able to reach out to you.  In my estimation this is the meaning of merciful love.

Blessed are you,

Almighty and Everlasting God,

blessed are you.

Thank you

for your

amazing compassion.

Thank you

for keeping

in touch

with your children,

not just some,

but all.

Thank you

for today,

the stone

and your touch.

Love, Andrea

Friday, July 31, 2020

Dearest God,

Why is it I find you so easily as I work in the dirt?  As I clear, dig and clean areas in the woods that open up to a spiritual path, I feel somehow absorbed into you.  I feel my anxieties lessen and my love grow.  I feel your living presence and I want to fly with the birds, dance with the ferns and run with the squirrels.  I feel so free, so absolutely free!

As we take your hand and your lead, we can do incredible things.  When we open ourselves to your wondrous, amazing grace, life becomes different.  New perspectives come.  Old fears dissolve.  Love deepens.  Strength grows.  And faith, well, it explodes!

Thank you,
Holy and Loving God,
thank you
for every day lessons.
Thank you
for love
that only grows deeper.
Thank you
for help
and guidance
that are priceless.
You are God;
there is none
like you!

Love, Andrea

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Dear God,

You set a task before us.  You give us creativity and imagination to do the work.  You give us strength to complete the task.  And when it is finished your stamp is on it.

There are so many things I do not know how to do.  I don't know the way to do it.  Nor do I have the insight and confidence in myself to accomplish those things you give me.  And yet, when I trust you completely, when I give my hands to you, when I open my mind in contemplative prayer, when I take the first step and when I let you use the whole of me for your grace-filled work, I can do things I never imagined.

A tangled, debris-filled, noxious, invasive and ugly woods has become a spiritual path across the last decade plus years.  As we unlocked lovely ferns, sweet wildflowers and open ways, the woods has been transformed into a beautiful sanctuary. Everything dances with your spirit breeze.  I see joy as they too trust you to move them.  And then, of course, I find myself moving too to the tune of grace.

Loving God,
how beautiful
is your work
on earth.
Thank you
for your
transformative work.
Thank you
for making
the impossible possible.

Love always, Andrea

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Dear God,

Today the voices of Susan, Bill and Jan became the voices of heaven.  As our covenant group convened this morning, I heard the sounds of hope, peace and trust.  They ushered me into your arms.

How can it be so, O Lord?  How do we carry one another to the throne of grace?  Is it because we have a piece of heaven in each of us so we know the way home?  Is it love that makes it happen?  Or is it the way we allow others to weave their threads into ours?

One thing I know for sure.  You brought four people together back in the 1980's.  You gave us a single heartbeat for the spiritual journey and the keys to each other's spirit.  You made us uniquely us, poured your mercy and insight in us and then showed us the way to blend our threads into a beautifully-woven braid.  You put your self in the center and we began our incredible journey of one.

Holy and Living God,
thank you
for the gift
of our
covenant group.
Thank you
for your
amazing grace
that put us
in each
other's path.
Thank you
for the gifts
of trust,
faith and love.
There is
no god
like you.

Love always, Andrea