Pocket Surprises (05/07/2026)

This morning it was cool when I went to the porch for prayer. I checked the temperature; it was 38. So, I grabbed my barn coat and headed out. As I was getting buttoned up, I happened to check my pockets. In the left pocket was my shopping list for the market. I could tell by the items such as cranberries and extra drumsticks that it was from my shopping trip for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought to myself that it made sense; I wear my barn coat in the spring and fall.

So much has happened since the fall. Truth is, I told myself, so much has happened since last week. And then before I knew it, my prayer took a reflective turn, more so than usual for morning prayer. I began to think about my life since Thanksgiving. It has been 5+ months. What has it held? What did I gain? What did I lose? How am I different?

My prayer took me to remembrances of special times with family and friends and that sense of blessing. My prayer also took me to remembrances of difficult times such as illness and death of my younger brother, and my grief mixed with gratitude for the gift of his life and love. I sat holding that for a while.

As I ended my morning reflection which lasted longer than my usual Thursday morning prayer, I thanked the LORD for giving me so many blessings in the love and lives of family and friends, in the opportunities to use my God-given gifts to serve others and to bring the LORD to others, and for time. And I asked the LORD to be with me as I facilitate a retreat for parish staff members for the next two days.

As I said my “Amen,” I took the grocery list out of my pocket again. The LORD is truly amazing. How does the LORD know to use a list of words over 5 months old stuffed in a seasonal coat jacket pocket? Oh, my. As the frequently aired commercial says, “The clues are all around us.” As I write, though, I recognize that a better realization is that our LORD is always near, always attentive to our needs, even before we can articulate them. Today, I realize all that I have to be grateful for in my life and all that I need to do better to grow closer to the one the LORD created me to be.

As we continue on our journeys of faith, hope and love, let us be attentive to “the clues” the LORD places before us. Let us commit to being people of prayerful reflection and discernment, seeking the will of the LORD and the grace to follow that will with joy and commitment. Let us be people of praise and thanksgiving, acknowledging all that we have and all that we are because we live, and move and have our being in the LORD.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.