Patricia Franz is hosting Spiritual Thursday this month. She selected the theme of Trust.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God…Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.
I’ve been binge listening to Sara Bareilles’s new album “Good Grief.” Every song touches me in a deep way. I’ve also listened to a few of her interviews around the release and while she doesn’t say her trust is in God directly, she does believe in the universe, the eternity of all life. Her song “Forever” is about the sacred spirit that holds us all. Be careful, this one will make you cry.
I struggle with trusting that there is a “plan.” I really don’t believe there is some grand plan, but I do trust that our maker, creator God is beside us on this life journey. I pray. I meditate. I sing. All the while looking for signs pointing to hope. Hope is in the songs, the stories, the poetry, and always, in Love.
Andrea Gibson made a strong imprint on so many lives and continues to do so. Sara Bareilles wrote a song that includes Andrea’s words called “Love Story.”
James Crews wrote a poem for Andrea that was published by Rattle on Sept. 28, 2026 in response to her line, “We will spend our entire lives praying for what we have.”
I wrote a poem alongside a bonus poem James Crews offered on Substack. Poetry, songs, music connects us to each other in ways we cannot understand.
Praying for What I Have
Sleeping, snoozing, I awoke through
darkness in the trees,
wondering how I could make
a day worthy of my waking,
worrying about nothing.
I was trying to forgive myself
when out of the dawn, from
beyond my window, a barred owl sent me
its who-cooks-for-you call
on fall fresh air, and a word
fell from my snoring breath—
Thanks— as the owl
distilled silence into gratitude.
Margaret Simon, draft
