Daily Devotion

Dear God who walks with me,
Morning has broken and my heart is filled
with gratitude for the wonders of you creation.
On my journey this day, as in life,
guide me on my path.
Fill me with your grace and grant me
Openness, patience, strength,
Compassion and the Gift of Laughter.
Encourage me to be still and listen
So that I may hear
the still small voice that is you
leading me.  Amen.

This morning I began my morning like I often do, I walked in my neighborhood.  I like to do this early in the morning because I can pray and focus on my faith as I start my day.  Once again as I walked, I recited the above prayer, which was written by the pilgrims who walked the Camino last year.  Actually Kristen Kalsem wrote the prayer, but she did so using the suggestions from all the pilgrims.  One of the parts of the prayer that really spoke to my heart this morning was the prayer for the gift of laughter.  Which ever pilgrim suggested we include this in our prayer was brilliant in my opinion because we would need to be able to laugh as we walked the Camino.  We needed to be able to laugh when we stepped in “something” along the path, we needed to be able to laugh when what we thought we ordered ended up being something else, we needed to be able to laugh when at the end of the day there was one more hill on the horizon, and we needed to be able to laugh when something did not go quite as we expected.  The gift of laughter was an essential part of the pilgrimage we were on.

This morning as I walked in my neighborhood, I thought how important it is to have laughter in our lives now.  To tell you the truth, right now, I really enjoy watching a comedy that makes me laugh, seeing a funny meme on Facebook, or hearing a funny story about what someone’s child did today as they sheltered in place.  Sometimes laughter is the best medicine.  So hear is my prayer for all of the Good Shepherd quarantine pilgrims  may you have the gift of laughter in your life today.

In Christ,

Pastor Pat

2 comments on article "Daily Devotion"

Tracey Long

Thanks Pastor Pat! Indeed- we needed and enjoyed laughter on the Camino and we all need it even more today! The great news- this is a gift God gives us freely! Today I’m going to focus on this gift and all the people who share it with me so that I, too, can return the gift of laughter. Buen Camino! Todos Somos caminantes ahora!! (Wishing you a good path- we are all walkers together right now!!)

4/21/2020 12:57 PM

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Paul DiMario

Thank you Pastor Pat, I also love the gift of Laughter. I also like to put it with the other 2 L's, Live, Love & Laff!

4/21/2020 3:18 PM

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