room. I was diagnosed with stress-induced asthma and prescribed heavy-duty medications and ordered to rest. But I knew I couldn’t sleep this off. The medications took effect after a couple of days, but the feeling that I was being suffocated by stress did not dissipate at all. To add to the load, I felt like I needed to be strong for someone else and that I was going to fail him. He passed very quickly, which somehow compounded the grief. We had barely had time to adjust to the severity of his illness when he died. One of the blessings to come from this was that his family and friends became a very close-knit group and have remained so, sharing memories and making new ones.
When the vicissitudes of life remind me that the only constant is change, I think back to those dark days and reflect on how it felt, oftentimes hopeless with a depthless sadness. The only thing that helped me was praying and reading the wisdom of others. I remembered wishing I had a book that I could carry with me at all times just so I could turn to it when I felt I just could not go on. I know you, dear reader, have also faced circumstances that seemed insurmountable. My sincere hope is that the prayers and homilies I have gathered here offer some comfort and courage to you. I would love to hear from you—tell me the stories of what you and your loved ones have lived through and overcome. I would love to hear your encouraging words and gain strength from you.
With gratitude and blessings,
Becca Anderson
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
—Japanese proverb
“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.”
—Albert Schweitzer
“We should always pray for help, but we should always listen for inspiration and impression to proceed in ways different from those we may have thought of.”
—John H. Groberg
“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”
—Duke Ellington
The Fearsome Blessing of Hard Times
The fearsome blessing of that hard time continues to work itself out in my life in the same way we’re told the universe is still hurtling through outer space under impact of the great cosmic explosion that brought it into being in the first place. I think grace sometimes explodes into our lives like that—sending out pain, terror, astonishment through inner space until by grace they become Orion, Cassiopeia, Polaris, to give us our bearings, to bring us into something like full being at last.
- Frederick Buechner
You Will Have Peace
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
—Numbers 6:24–26, The Bible, NIV
By the Awful Grace of God
And even in our sleep,
pain that cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despite,
against our will,
comes wisdom to us
by the awful grace of God.
—Agamemnon, Aeschylus – 5th Century BC
Calling All Angels
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
- Catholic Liturgy—A Prayer to Guardian Angels
Inspire Me to Kindness, Each and Every Day
Day by day,
Let me see the grace
Day by day,
Let me see the way
Day by day,
Let me see the beauty
Let me hear the music
day by day
Let me see the way
Day by day
let me see the goodness
Let me feel the love
Inspire me to kindness
Day by day,
let me see the way
Let me see the grace
Let me see the way
- Day by Day—Hans van Rostenberghe
Growing Old
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love
are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.
- Buddha
Give Us the Power To Heal
Hail to thee, day! Hail, ye day’s sons!
Hail, night and daughter of night!
With blithe eyes look on both
