August Twenty Seventeen

The first rule is simply this:

Live this life

And do whatever is done,

In a spirit of Thanksgiving.

-John McQuiston Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living

It is for us to train our hearts

to live in grace

to sacrifice our self-centered desires,

to find the peace without want

without seeking it for ourselves...

and when we fail,

to begin again each day.

-John McQuiston Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living

At the beginning of each day,

After we open our eyes

to receive the light

of that day...

as we listen to the voices

and sounds

that surround us...

We must resolve to treat each hour

as the rarest of gifts....

and be grateful

for the consciousness

that allows us to experience it,

recalling in thanks

that our awareness is a present

from we know not where,

or how, or why...

When we rise from sleep, let us rise for the joy

of the true Work that we will be about

this day,

and considerably cheer one another on...

Life will always provide matters for concern.

Each day, however, brings with it reasons for joy...

Every day carries the potential

to bring the experience of heaven...

have the courage to expect good from it..

Be gentle with this life...

And use the light of life

To live fully in your time.

-John McQuiston Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living