Today is the beginning. Each day is, I suppose, but today begins National Poetry Month, my favorite month of the year. The KidLit Progressive Poem is off to a wonderful spinning start with Kat Apel.
It’s Maundy Thursday in another strange Holy Week. Thankfully, the 4 person choir at my church is gathering again and singing (masked) from the loft. Maundy Thursday music is my favorite. Feels holier. Foreshadowing death to resurrection. The solemn act of foot washing reminds us of Jesus’ servanthood and love. We are not quite to resurrection from the pandemic yet, but having had my vaccine, I am feeling a sense of relief and new beginnings.
The first three months of this year I read The Artist’s Way and met weekly with a group on Zoom. Our last meeting on Tuesday night felt sacred. We each shared a creative work. Creativity makes us human and vulnerable, but also celebratory and worthy. One of the tasks from the author Julia Cameron was to write an artist’s prayer. I didn’t write one yet. Jone inspired me when she shared hers. She included her past One Little Words into her prayer. My words are reach, open, presence, grace, explore, cherish, embrace, inspire.
Dear Great Creator,
I am here today
to be an instrument of your work
to explore your world with curiosity, to open myself
to your creativity. I trust your hand
will reach for mine,
guide my pen to something new.
May I be present in this day, embrace nature,
follow the contrail of your vision for me.Margaret Simon, always in draft
May I be filled with grace
so to bless others with my offering,
May I nurture the child within,
accept her imperfections and needs,
cherish her with love and devotion.
Help me to know I am not alone.
By your side, I can be inspired
to breathe your spirit
into each day.
Reflections on the Teche 
This poem is stunning…more so because of the weeks of journey that went into writing it. I have not written an artist’s prayer yet. You inspire me.
Your Artist’s Prayer strikes many chords with me, Margaret. The willingness to be an instrument of curiosity and creativity, the nurturing of a child, including “the one within” that longs for comfort and validation, the desire to bless others, breathing the spirit of God (for that is the very origin of the word “inspire”). I had to look up contrail – how perfectly chosen, to describe the reaching for God’s “vision of me”. Thank you for this offering of awe today.
I was so unsure. Not trusting is a block for me. I let it go and now it spoke to you. There is affirmation in your response that warms my heart. Thanks.
Margaret: I found many insights in your post today. Thank you for rich food for thought. I also loved “contrail.” Accepting imperfection… learning to just breathe… learning to be present. I need them all. Thank you for your devotion and courage, and may God bless you this week and throughout the year.
I love this, Margaret. It is such a Holy day and your prayer is beautiful. I think the Spiritual Journey piece is sometimes neglected when it can be so meaningful and important.
Lovely prayer! Blessed Maundy Thursday to you, and all the rest of Holy Week too! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
That ending, “to breathe your spirit/into each day.” makes a lovely end and of course, a beginning, too, Margaret. Happy Easter and Poetry Month.
I love the always in draft stance. We are always drafting ourselves anew.
“Criss-cross double wish” – aww, what a lovely thought for the invisible baby who will use this blanket. What a rich post so full of so many different thoughts and images! Thanks for sharing.
Margaret, I am so glad that I am reading your blog post at the end of a long day. It is a beautiful evening prayer that lifts my soul with such thoughts as “to breathe your spirit
into each day.
-A gentle thought, a humbling prayer, a request from earth to heaven-
It is a joy to see your heart
I love how you chose to weave your words into this post. The attention to the child within and your desire to breathe His spirit into each day are inspiring. And trusting that His hand will reach for yours. A beautiful prayer, Margaret!