Life can be tough
sometimes
and when we find ourselves
in the wrong job
it can leave us
physically, mentally,
spiritually and emotionally
d … r … a … i … n … e … d

It’s a hard place to be.

Lord,
please bless our daughter
who finds herself to be
in the wrong job.
Give her the strength
to go to work
each day.

Give her the vision
to use this job
as a stepping stone
to one that suits her.
(This demanding job
is providing our daughter
with valuable life experiences
without her realising it).

Lord,
please guide our daughter
in her search
for another job.
Help her to see in herself
the qualities that we see
and that make her
the wonderful person
that she is.

With our prayers,
Your guiding hand
and our daughter’s hard work,
may our daughter soon have
a job that suits her
so that her spirit may soar
once more.

© Claire Murray, 13th February 2022

A snatchet of a hymn
pops into my head –
“I lift my voice
to worship You
O my soul, rejoice!”
It plays there for quite some time
on repeat
as I walk with my family
in Tollymore.

Rustling leaves
and crunching beechnuts underfoot,
blue skies overhead,
the churning, cascading Shimna river
beside us as we walk.

Today really is a glorious day,
made all the sweeter
by its unexpectedness
in October.

A sense, as we dander along,
that this day,
with my family,
is a real gift from God.

And yet,
it’s a bitter-sweet day
for us
because we’re deeply aware
that not everyone
has been blessed
with the gift of today.

Yesterday
ten people lost their lives
in an explosion
at a filling station
in Creeslough, Donegal,
a place we know well.

As we absorb
the beauty and peace
of Tollymore
we each offer up a silent prayer
for those who died
or were injured.

May Shauna & Robert,
Catherine & James,
Leona, Hugh,
Jessica, Martin,
James and Tina
all rest in peace
and may God comfort
their devastated families.

© Claire Murray, 8th October 2022