“Today is my gift to you!
Enjoy it!”, exclaimed My God
as I cycled to work
past the Two Balls
which shone bright and white
against a blue sky
on this midsummer’s morning.
“Enjoy all of the gifts
that I have given to you!”

And today felt special,
as if My God was spoiling me,
giving me a precious day,
a memory to cherish,
a keepsake.

As I returned home late this evening,
My God continued
to shower me with gifts.
A magnificent sunset
lit up the whole of the sky,
shimmering off Lough Neagh
and painting everything in the landscape
a gentle pink –
the peaks of Divis Mountain,
sheep dotted in the fields
and even the steep mountain road.

The sunset was truly spectacular
but My God hadn’t finished spoiling me yet.
A huge, pink rainbow,
unlike any I have ever seen,
arched high in the late evening sky
and I felt the calming presence
of My God,
who reassured me that
everything is safely in his capable hands
and that, whatever happens,
everything will be alright.

Then My God bestowed on me
the final part of today’s gift –
the gift of his peace.

© Claire Murray, 19th June 2012

Lord,
is today going to be the day
when everything changed?

I had been confident,
reassured by the high success rate
of this procedure.
But last night I remembered something
that Dolores said to me recently,
“Danny hasn’t been himself for months”
and doubt crept in.

I have watched a small, red spot
grow into a large, weeping sore.
I find myself wondering
what lurks beneath the surface.
I’m concerned.

Lord,
today Danny will catch a glimpse
of his cancer,
will get his first hint
of how much of his body
it has laid claim to.
It’s scary!

Lord,
bless Danny today.
Give him the courage
to take a long, hard look
at his physical self
and to accept
what he is shown there.
Give him the strength
to fight for what can be won,
to accept what he cannot change
and to place himself, in trust,
in your loving hands.

Meanwhile I sit and wait,
wondering whether today will be the day
when everything changed.

© Claire Murray, 9th May 2012