The circus bear patrols
the front of his cave.
All day long,
day after day at the zoo
the circus bear paces
five paces across,
five paces back.

The physical imprisonment
of a tiny, cruel cage in a circus
has been replaced
by the prison of his tortured mind.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Lord,
there are times in my life
when I resist change
and insist instead
on following the safe habits of a lifetime.
I persist in using coping strategies,
once necessary,
that used to protect me
but which are now simply
deeply ingrained
and today imprison me.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Give me the courage, Lord,
to stop doing things
because that’s the way
that they’ve always been done.
Give me the courage
to step out in faith
so that I may live my life
in freedom
instead of living it
locked in the past.

I don’t want to be like
the circus bear
living my life
taking five paces across,
five paces back.

©  Claire Murray, 25th March 2017

The circus bear patrols
the front of his cave.
All day long,
day after day at the zoo
the circus bear paces
five paces across,
five paces back.

The physical imprisonment
of a tiny, cruel cage in a circus
has been replaced
by the prison of his tortured mind.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Lord,
there are times in my life
when I resist change
and insist instead
on following the safe habits of a lifetime.
I persist in using coping strategies,
once necessary,
that used to protect me
but which are now simply
deeply ingrained
and today imprison me.
Five paces across,
five paces back.

Give me the courage, Lord,
to stop doing things
because that’s the way
that they’ve always been done.
Give me the courage
to step out in faith
so that I may live my life
in freedom
instead of living it
locked in the past.

I don’t want to be like
the circus bear
living my life
taking five paces across,
five paces back.

© Claire Murray, 25th March 2017

Yesterday a boy and a girl
walked past me.
They looked like students
and they were chatting.
“I was just trying
to make a connection …”
said the girl
and then they were gone.

This evening, at vigil Mass,
I know how that girl feels.
Today is the first weekend of Lent
and I sense
that I have drifted somewhat
in my relationship
with My God.

I see Lent as an opportunity
to draw closer to My God,
to reconnect with Him.
During Mass
I hear a beautiful psalm sung.
It’s called “Turn to Me”
and contains the line,
“I call your name.”

Hearing these words
I feel reassured, encouraged
and welcome.
I have a sense that,
during this Lent,
while I am trying
to connect with My God,
My God is busily trying
to reconnect with me.

© Claire Murray, 4th March 2017

It’s one of those rare Irish days
of sun and blue skies
in early spring.

We are surrounded by the gentle slopes
of the Sperrins.
High up, near Eagles’ Rock,
falcons soar silently,
crows swoosh past just overhead,
larks chorus
and bunnies hop away into burrows.

This place feels timeless.
It calls me to stop and be still.
My worries and cares
are a distant memory.

Moydamlaght on a sunny spring time –
peace for the mind
and rest for the soul.

©  Claire Murray, 4th March 2017