Lord,
I spent much of today
troubled in spirit,
my mind pre-occupied
by something that was simply
beyond my control.

It was a long day,
an anxious day,
and I felt unable
to shake off my concerns.

During Mass at St Agnes’
the words of the Our Father
resonated within me,
reassuring me,
calming my troubled soul –
“Give us this day
our daily bread”.

Those words comforted me,
reminding me
that I have no need to fear
because you are with me
in all of the trials
of my life.

Those words reminded me
that you will provide me
with everything I need –
my daily bread.

My anxiety evaporated,
my peace returned
and as I left the chapel
at the end of Mass,
I felt uplifted.

© Claire Murray, 26th July 2014

On a bright, breezy, summer’s morning
I walk to work,
brow furrowed
and head down
as I lean into a strong sea breeze.

I am contemplating an obstacle
that has presented itself
in my life.
I don’t know how to deal with it
and my heart is troubled.

Ahead of me
seagulls soar, swoop and dive
as they fly in a gusting breeze.
I watch one seagull
as he soars up into the air,
carried by a gust of wind.
But suddenly
the wind changes direction,
buffeting the seagull
on his ascent
and tossing him dangerously close
to a concrete wall.
I gasp,
concerned that the seagull
might lose control.
Then, to my delight,
the seagull loops the loop,
dips down into the wind
and flies away
apparently unperturbed.

Wow!
I didn’t know that was possible!

In that instant
my peace returns
and I sense My God reassuring me,
reminding me
that with Him by my side,
I, too, can overcome
unexpected obstacles in my life
and that I, too,
may be able to accomplish things
that appear to be as unlikely and impossible
as a seagull
looping the loop.

© Claire Murray, 18th May 2014

It’s Monday morning
and I have to go to work
but I decide to treat myself
by cycling to work
by the scenic route,
along the Tow Path.

It’s a glorious, sunny, June day
and I stop for a wee break
at my favourite spot
where the river bends
and the water drifts past
at a snail’s pace.

Immersed in bird song
and steeped in summer sunshine
my heart fills
with a deep sense of joy
and thanksgiving.

The precious gift
of a perfect, sunny, summer’s day
takes the sting
out of having to go to work
on a Monday morning.

© Claire Murray, 26th June 2014

Sometimes I wonder
whether God occasionally stretches time.

Today I had a decision to make.
I could help a friend
or I could get to the last session
of the Clonard Novena.
It was impossible to do both.
I decided to help my friend.

We worked hard together
to complete our task
and we finished it
in a surprisingly short time.
I looked at my watch
and realised, to my delight,
that I could get to the Novena after all,
and would probably arrive
just a wee bit late.

I put on my coat
and rushed across town,
explaining to God on the way
that I was leaving my late arrival
in His hands.

To my amazement
I arrived at Clonard just as the priest
greeted the congregation.
I had arrived on time after all!

Sitting in Clonard,
I thought back
over how much work
I had managed to do
and how far
I had managed to walk
in such a short space of time.
How had I managed to achieve
what had appeared to be
the impossible?

I’m aware
that My God gave me
a helping hand
and I find myself wondering
whether God occasionally stretches time?

© Claire Murray, 26th June 2014

Lord,
sometimes I struggle to forgive
those who have hurt me.
I try to forgive them, Lord,
I really do!
And I think that I have managed to put
a particular incident behind me
and that I have managed to move on.
Then one day, in conversation,
I find myself mentioning
the incident or the person
and I am shocked
by the bitterness that I hear
in my voice.
I realise that, despite my best efforts,
I haven’t really managed
to forgive the person after all.

As I puzzle over this,
I find myself thinking
about friends and family
whom I love.
Loving people
isn’t a one-off decision
that never needs to be revisited.
Loving those people
is something that I do unthinkingly
every day.

It strikes me
that the call to forgive
is very like the call to love –
it’s one that I must answer
every single day.
Then it dawns on me
that this is hardly surprising
because loving and forgiving
are both two sides
of the same coin.

© Claire Murray, 27th June 2014

One sunny, summer day
I breezed into the kitchen,
delighted with myself
and declared to my daughter, Aoife,
“I deserve a gold star
because I cut the grass
instead of going to bed!”

Aoife looked up from her studies,
hesitated for a second or two
and slipped wordlessly
from the kitchen.
A minute later, Aoife returned,
hand outstretched,
to present to me a gold star …
… that was made of chocolate!

Before long
Aoife and I were sitting happily
at the kitchen table,
enjoying an impromptu study break
as we drank tea
and ate chocolate gold stars.

Lord,
I know that gold stars
sound so childish
but I don’t believe
that any of us really grow out of
a need to be reassured,
to feel appreciated
and to be told
that we’ve done a good job.

Remind me, Lord,
to take the time to recognise
the best efforts of others
enabling those people
to feel valued
so that, when leaving me
they, too, might say to themselves,
“I deserve a gold star!”

© Claire Murray, 3rd June 2014