Autumn Thanks

Dear Lord,

Thank you for bring us into this new season.
Help us to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us in the falling of leaves, the changing of colors and the smell of the fresh, crisp air.
Comfort us as we grieve for loved ones no longer with us on earth.
Bring your blessings forth upon our farmers and your land that they care for and cultivate with food for all of us.
Let the crops be bountiful this year and let us rejoice in the abundance you sustain and provide us with daily.
Protect those who are fearful of their safety in places such as India, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and even here, in the ghettos and homes of America where gang violence and domestic abuse are prevalent.
Surround us all in your presence Lord, let your love reign on this earth and bring joy and healing to it and all of your peoples.

Amen.

As a seminarian my family and friends always invite me to provide table grace at meals. I do not memorize prayers, I speak from my heart and the words flow out. This is my style of prayer in services too when I pray for the community. In this prayer I wanted to remember the new season of autumn which I love. I try to embrace the beauty and gifts of each season. With my family background in agriculture, harvest is a key time that is a very anxious time. When should the crops be harvested? When will the first frost come? What if it snows or rains and the fields are too muddy to get the crops out of the field? Will the crops yield enough to cover our bills this year? I also remember those who have died as All Saints Day comes closer and my boyfriend's best friend died this last week. It is a time for grief and comforting of those who mourn. As for violence across our globe, we have neighbors in need and suffering who daily face violence and threats to their security that we have no concept of. I like to remember and remind others that this violence is not just outside of America. Violence exists in our communities also. As I go to these darker places, I remember at the conclusion that God is with us, God is with us and with me. We are not alone.