As the world around us and our lives grow more and more complicated and stressful, it is often grounding to get back to the simple things in life — like a walk in a park. It’s a good way to let go of our worries and to be present to the beauty of God’s creation. And it can set the stage for a feeling of joy to arise within! As inspiration, I offer Ted Loder’s poem/prayer, “Waken in Me a Sense of Joy:”
O extravagant God,
in this ripening, red-tinged autumn,
waken in me a sense of joy
in just being alive,
joy for nothing in general
except everything in particular;
joy in sun and rain
mating with earth to birth a harvest;
joy in soft light
through shyly disrobing trees;
joy in the acolyte moon
setting halos around processing clouds;
joy in the beating of a thousand wings
mysteriously knowing which way is warm;
wagging tails and kids’ smiles
and in this spunky old city;
joy in the taste of bread and wine,
the smell of dawn,
a touch,
a song,
a presence;
joy in having what I cannot live without-
other people to hold and cry and laugh with;
joy in love,
in you;
and that all at first and last
is grace.
May God waken in us all a joy for nothing in general except everything in particular!
Note: Ted Loder served as a Methodist pastor in Philadelphia, which I suspect is the spunky old city he refers to!
