This small clay plaque was designed by Michael Macone of Spooner Creek Designs in Wisconsin. What a thoughtful gift! It became the focus of my meditation today. For the photo I set it on my meditation cushion. These seven decades of my life are full of things I did for multiple reasons. Perhaps you’ll add your thought in the comments.

• Life happens and I had to deal.
• Sometimes the doing was to make it through to the other side of grief.
• Sometimes I followed the plan laid out before me, such as credits toward graduations at various educational levels, or raising boys who are now wonderful men.
• Sometimes I accepted assignments without a clue as to how to proceed, but believed it could be done.
• Given a title brought an expectation to perform in that role.
• Long-term goals required taking one more step.
• Mistakes along every path at least were not fatal!
• I learned from a friend that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly–that perfection is the enemy of “good enough.”
• From my earliest memories, I listened more than I talked. I’ve learned that I thrive best when solitude and quiet fill part of every day.
• Most of all, love has guided my life, and helped me believe I could even when I didn’t know how to do it.
• By the age of 3 I had been taught the God is Love–the kind of love that surrounds us, transcends us, transforms us, heals us.

Here’s my prayer for today.

God of Infinite Love, thank you for loving me and believing in me when I didn’t think I deserved it. I didn’t need to earn it after all. I just had to want love and to stumble toward it in my desire for wholeness. Human love disappoints. We all fall short of what our closest friends and family need. God of Love is our image of highest power. Let love show the way toward the beautiful, true, and good. Amen

She Believed