I left home
when I was eighteen
and when I returned
about a month later,
I said to Mammy
(with great indignation!)
“Mammy,
do you know how much food costs?”
“I could write a book about it!”
laughed Mammy.

I feel a wee bit like that today
as I sit down to pray
and attempt to explain to God
how difficult it is
to be a parent.
I can just imagine God
rolling His eyes,
shaking His head
and saying,
“I wrote a book about it!”

At least I know
that I have a sympathetic listener!

And so my morning prayer
continues.
I pray for the grace
to be a good parent
and I pray for
our three grown-up children –
may God keep each one of them
in His loving care.

© Claire Murray, 12th September, 2024

My Hand in Your Hand, Lord

I’ve got a splinter
in my finger.
Nothing strange about that,
you might think.
But this is a splinter
like no other
because it’s invisible!

Even with my magnifying glass
I can’t see the splinter
or a puncture mark.
But I know it’s there
because I can feel it.

People have kindly and patiently
examined my finger
and they, too, can find no sign
of the splinter.
(I reckon that they secretly suspect
that my splinter is imaginary
as well as invisible!)

Every morning I bless my splinter
with Holy Water.
And during the day
I swish my hand about in water
as much as possible,
hoping to wash it out
And, as I do so,
I offer up a quick prayer –
“My hand in Your hand, Lord!”

Working away in the garden
I wear two pairs of gloves
hoping to sweat out
this invisible splinter
and I offer up my quick prayer –
“My hand in Your hand, Lord!”

And so, I place my finger
and my invisible splinter
into God’s hands
every day.

(My splinter couldn’t be
in safer hands, now could it?)

© Claire Murray, 20th September 2024

Lord,
as I walk into the kitchen
this morning
I am just in time to see
a beautiful morning sky –
just before sunrise!
A real masterpiece,
a work of art,
by Your hand, I’m convinced!

Okay,
so there are scientific explanations
for why the sky
is painted pink.
But Who was it who created
the sun, the clouds, the wind,
the atmospheric conditions –
everything that had to combine
perfectly
for this morning glory to form?
You!

This morning masterpiece
reminds me of You.
It fills me with awe
and stops me in my tracks.

And so this morning, Lord,
I give thanks to You
for the awesome beauty
of today’s sunrise
which gladdens the hearts
of all who see it.

© Claire Murray, 21st January 2023

The sun is shining
so we pack a picnic
and head off to Cam Forest,
near Limavady.
We have a new gadget –
a wee, hand-held device
that displays maps
showing roads and paths.

So off we go on our walk
to explore!

Forest paths are lined
with wild flowers of all colours –
spires of pink,
tiny balls of purple,
wee stars of pink and mauve.
Flat heads of cow parsley
sway gently in the breeze
while black bees buzz
all around.

Dark green rushes
with rusty tufts
stand to attention.
Wild grasses shimmer in the sun
as the wind blows waves –
across an expanse of green, gold
and pink.
The last foxgloves of summer
are like pink beacons
in the shade.

A butterscotch-coloured frog,
the size of my thumbnail,
hops across the path
and, as we approach our car,
a hunting bird glides
through the trees.

Thank You, Lord,
for a day filled with peace, colour
and sunshine.
And thank You also
for that handy wee map device
that liberated us
to explore forest roads and paths
without fear of getting lost!

© Claire Murray, 29th July 2024