Hi, I'm Libby Clarke. Welcome to Daily Prayers from an (Im)Perfect Soul. (Note: working title…)

I'm in the process of discernment to become an Episcopal priest. I've been honing my ability to pray extemporaneously, inspired by my bishop who effortlessly prays for people on the spot.

I've set up some simple rules.

* I use an old typewriter and limit myself to a three by five five by seven index card to keep it concise.

* I get to go back afterwards and edit a little bit with old typesetter marks.

But beyond that, I move on.

This practice has helped me shed inhibitions about expressing my faith aloud, fostering a genuine dialogue with God. It's humbling. It reveals attitudes. It makes me confront half baked ideas, and it forces me to acknowledge skepticism I once held quite dear.

Of course I'm starting this during the week I have had laryngitis and had to miss choir. But here we go.

A Prayer of Gratitude

Dear Lord,

I thank you for these warmer days—

I was walking the dog and enjoying the evening when I heard a TV audience cheer from someone's open window.

The sound hit me just as I rounded the corner to see a blaze of forsythia. In a perfect moment of fusion, I gasped.

Of course this is its sound! Of course I can love it unabashed!

In a moment, I was given the gift of loving this shrub, one that I had hated since my mom had made me pull switches from it one when a child.

In a moment, I was freed from an old, old pain and left basking in the roar of these glorious blossoms cheering from every direction.

Thank you, Lord, for spring. Thank you for beginnings, and change, and renewal. And thank you for moments of teachability.

Amen.

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