JULY 28
God, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless Thine own presence
Thou hast given me this time, O God.
—CELTIC PRAYERWhen we are grieving it is hard to see a new day as a fresh
opportunity for life and growth. We carry such baggage of
sorrow with us. Sorrow burdens all that we do, all that we
think about. So it is only by an act of will that we can even
try to think of this day as a fresh start, a new opportunity.
But try. One way to begin is to concentrate, not on
ourselves, but on the hours ahead as though they were un-
known visitors, and on whatever name we give to the source
of life that has endowed us with life and love and beauty,
and with precious relationships.
Sit in some quiet place and close your eyes and, breathing
deeply, try to get in touch with the deepest stillness within
yourself—a place of wordless tranquility. Then you might
repeat slowly to yourself the prayer at the top of this page.
Name to yourself the hours of the day. If you know what
you’ll be doing at a given time, try to project some of this
peace onto that activity—as a blessing. Perhaps you will
recall this when the hour comes.
May this day be a New Day for me.