An Everyday Prayer

Dear God,
let me remember this day
to put on my deodorant
to look into the eyes of small people
to give hugs

Let me remember also
to take balloon breaths before speaking
when I feel the smoldering iron
of anger rising up through my body

Let me remember to pause often
giving thanks for the little things
that abound in each day
a cup of coffee
a shared laugh
a perfectly arched leaf of a surviving houseplant
dishes patiently waiting to be washed
and piles of clean laundry that grace the back of the couch
a careless heap of boots and shoes by the door

Let me remember throughout these hours
others in other places
whose concerns today
are with life and death
and not the daily minutiae

May your presence overshadow them

Dear God,
let me remember this day
to put on my deodorant
to open myself to the many mercies
you pour over me
letting them trickle down
in
and
out