Giving Thanks

I was privileged to spend most of this past weekend with women from our church. We laughed a lot and shed some tears as well as we gathered around the theme of Women of God's Good Earth. Jan Seale, a gifted Texas writer and poet was our leader. I was responsible for the vespers services on Friday and Saturday evenings. As we were all weary Friday evening coming in from our busy lives, I talked about making space for God, using the book Space for God, and then engaged them in contemplative prayer, after giving each woman a candle to light. I thought with a candle in their laps they'd be less likely to fall asleep. Saturday night, I talked about gratitude to God, using another chapter from the same book, and asked them to list things they were thankful for from their time at the retreat. As I listened to them share from their hearts the things for which they were thankful and looked at their beautiful faces shining in the light from their candles, my heart was full of gratitude for the privilege of knowing them. They have blessed my life with their friendship. We closed with "Women at the Well" and "Sus Madres," two poems by Anne McCrady, another gifted Texas writer and poet. I think as long as there are women gathering together to pray and give thanks to God, there is hope for God's good earth yet.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Heart Sick

I've watched the news about the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti with much sadness. I cannot imagine how I would cope if there was no water, no electricity, no food, no safe place to sleep, and no effective government to enforce security and begin to fix the problems. If I added on top of that losing those I love, I would probably not function at all. Perhaps knowing that is what has had me weeping over the pictures of people looking lost, and of the injured children especially. I think only God can begin to help anyone to recover from such a monumental disaster.

Like many of my family and friends,especially the Christians, I was appalled by Pat Robertson's comments. I don't worship a God that willfully kills people by the thousands. From all that I have read and heard on thoughtful news programs, poverty contributed immensely to the problems. And this country has had a hand in Haiti for many years, not always in a helpful way. Which leaves me to conclude that while it was God's creation that shook the island, the disaster that followed resulted in large part from human action or inaction. I pray the recovery will be helped by human action for the better. And I continue to pray for those children of God in Haiti.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue