Standing in the Need of Prayer

It is the kind of morning when I feel I should pray not write.  But since I often pray by writing, let me pray here in this space.

I pray for my mom who is stranded in Spain and will have surgery this morning (perhaps right now, since it is already morning in Spain) to have stents put in her arteries.  I pray for my dad who is also there.  I am grateful he is there.  I am worried about them both.  I am trying to trust that they are in God's loving hands and all will be well.

I pray for my church, who had one of our members die in a car accident on Friday.  We are all grieving.  He lived with his mother, also a church member, who needs him fiercely, and now he is no longer here.  I pray for wisdom for her, and for comfort for us all.

I pray for all of us who are grieving the violence of last week, the violence that culminated in a shooting in a synagogue in Pennsylvania.  I pray for comfort.

I pray for all the schisms in this nation.  These months have shown us the depth of these fissures, and I pray for healing.  I have no vision for how to help with this healing, but I pray to be of use.

My prayers return to my mom and to all who face surgery, either in their home hospitals or far away.  I pray for the ones undergoing surgery and the family members who love them.  I pray for those facing surgery alone.  I pray for the world, and all the surgery the world needs.  Let us find the sutures to stitch our wounds.