This fortieth year of ordination I've returned for two and a half weeks to my first parish, St. Mary in Roslyn Harbor, to cover for the pastor while he's away. Here's a Morning Prayer I wrote after my early A.M. walk from the church property, through the grounds of a tree-d senior complex and then along the shores of Hempstead Harbor.
Bless God for
pin oak,
sweetgum,
crape myrtle
and paper bark.
Bless God for
dragon fly,
fish squall,
Osprey return
and acorn-ed path.
Bless God for
wispy juniper,
bending cattail,
purple plumed grasses
and rose of sharon.
Bless God for
waterspouts,
sycamore,
ebbing tide
and mudflat scent.
Bless God for
snowy egret,
water wing-tap,
mallard cluster
and cormorant sunbath.
snowy egret,
water wing-tap,
mallard cluster
and cormorant sunbath.
Bless God for
fish ripple,
water way,
cicada's surround sound
and cloud shadow.
Bless God for
waggling aspen,
blue heron sighting,
mystery bird song
and miles of marsh grass.
Bless God for
piping plover,
least tern diving,
ivy-d fence
and bamboo grove.
