Tag: prayer

Dear God

finaa

Dear God,

It’s me.

I’d like to thank you for all the blessings bestowed on me again today–but that’s what I’m here to talk to you about.

You see, I’m what could be called an old, white, privileged male, and I already have too much of everything. Don’t get me wrong, all these blessings are great, but I’m finding it hard to keep thanking you for them when so many are suffering with so little.

I was wondering if maybe you could…ah…I don’t know…spread them out a little more? Even things out a bit?

It’s difficult to really enjoy all these great blessings when thousands of little children starve to death every day.

Amen

finvul

–Photo by Kevin Carter (who committed suicide shortly after)

morning prayer

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as the sun rises on a new day

may we go forth in our lives

healthy in mind, body, spirit

let us not forget compassion

kindness, and dignity for all

may we remember to pause

to absorb the natural beauty

and wonders of this world

may our spirits be renewed

as the sun rises on a new day

–photo by my son, Aaron

 

A Norwegian Prayer

viking family

I grew up in a very Norwegian family of eleven, and some of my earliest memories are of my grandmother Olga, born in 1898 and matriarch of the clan, pedaling away on the old Singer sewing machine as she sang old songs and stories from her youth. How I wish now that I had taken the time to learn them! There is the Norwegian Table Prayer, however, that I will never forget as us kids had to recite it in Norske in unison before every meal. It goes like this:

I Jesu navn går vi til bords

Og spiser, drikker på ditt ord

Deg, Gud, til aere, oss til gavn

Så får vi mat i Jesu navn.

Amen.

 

The translation is:

 

In Jesus’ name we go to the table

To eat and drink according to his word.

To God, the honor, to us the gain,

So we have food in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

 

I truly miss Olga and her stern ways. She would never let me rest while I churned butter, and I thought her mean at the time. Now I know she was firm with me because she wanted firm butter. Have a great day!