by Anne Kelliher
Awake my soul…
To the beauty of God’s world around me.
Lord, it is often I who am lacking.
Give me the grace to take frequent stock
Not only of the value of my actions,
But above all, of the value of my motives
In doing them.
Awake my soul…
To the gifts of inspiration, inventiveness
And imaginative thinking.
For truly, I believe that the point of creativity is
To challenge oneself,
To find meaning
And to enhance one’s life.
My existence is already a factor in world history;
Now, what factor can it be is the question?!
In small ways or large,
My life will change the world.
And in small ways or large,
The world will change me.
Awake my soul…
To the thrill of realising our wildest dreams,
And once realised,
Grant me the grace to continue to blossom and grow.
Awake my soul…
To the wisdom of ancient scholars and seers,
For there is more to the universe and to us,
Than you and I know.
Awake my soul…
To your boundless love for each of us.
The fusion of compassion and caring
Both delights and consoles me.
Awake my soul…
To the ingenuity of the people
We share our lives with.
All means of poverty are manifest in our world
Yet, people find inventive ways to rise above it.
Grace us with the capacity
To give generously and selflessly,
In service of others.
Awake my soul…
To all the miracles in my life;
The good health of family and friends;
The joys-and frustrations- of raising my children
And the ability to help shape young lives each day.
I give thanks for these priceless treasures
Which are confided to my lifelong keeping.
Awake my soul…
To be open to changed perspectives.
Even sad and unpleasant events
Play a role in shaping my character,
But spare me too many such events,
please Lord!
For I am but human after all.
Keep me mindful
That every loss will lead me to a gain
And every No takes me that much closer to a
Yes.
Awake my soul…
To the freedom of choice
And to discovering a different way to serve and protect .
Let me look anew at day-to-day life
And foster within me, the desire to know more.
Awake my soul…
To the stresses,traumas and emotional shutting down
Taking place in society today.
Bestow upon those of us in the caring professions,
The grace to approach our work and responsibilities,
Not with anger and cynicism,
But with love and fierce compassion.
Awake my soul…
To the worth of collaboration .
While we each have our own presence and energy,
The art of collaboration forces me to think differently.
It is a way to make the act of creating new again.
Awake my soul…
To the power of self acceptance.
That I may greet each new day
and the experience it offers, with confidence and joy.
Help me forge my identity in your image and likeness.
Let me be the face of Christ
In my daily encounters with all those who meet me.
Awake my soul…
To the value of asking questions.
Perhaps by doing so, they can re-direct my life.
Answering them every day will transform it.
Nudge me to ask “Where am I wrong?”
As Socrates believed,
We gain our first measure of intelligence
When we first admit our own ignorance .
And Lord, as the end of day draws near,
Awake my soul
To the gift of the night.
What a blessing to have few distractions.
There are no more … long to-do lists
Weighing on our minds .
We can just sit back, relax,
and envision all the possibilities of tomorrow.
The sky is the limit!
Awake my soul…
Anne Kelleher, Feabhra 2011
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