Scripps Sunday- 11/9

 

for this garbage day

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

—Matthew 5:3, NIV

I can find no good in today,

and I don’t want to try.

It feels like a lie to sugarcoat reality,

instead of naming what is.

When there is much to grieve,

too many losses and disappointments to name,

too many things going wrong,

when I’m better off

climbing back under the covers

and trying again tomorrow.

Blessed are we, the Debbie Downers

and Negative Neds,

who come to you just as we are,

with our loneliness and loss,

our scarcity and sorrow,

and say, God, there is just not enough.

Not enough money to pay bills.

Not enough jobs or safety

for those who have them.

Not enough wisdom to find solutions.

Not enough strength or comfort or connection.

Not enough patience

to deal with these people. 

Things are hard today.

Perhaps it is too much to say,

“God, thank you for today.”

Because today is already

topped up with

frustrations and bad attitudes

and unhope.

So instead, may there also

be a blessing for those of us who say,

“God, could you come meet me here on this garbage day?”

Give me a microscope to notice

the tiny, tiny graces.

The smell before the rain.

The softness of my pet’s fur.

The way my friend

gives the best hugs.

Or that my favorite show

always cheers me up.

So when gratitude feels impossible,

may I learn to compress my attention

so narrow as to find the smallest hopes.

Not as a formula to quiet the wrongs,

but as a practice of finding

any crumbs of joy

now visible on the kitchen floor.