“Mercy”

"Pale Yellow Roses" photo by Pheralyn Dove

Divine Grace. Mercy.

Praying for those who are in

Desperate need today.

At this writing I do not know the whereabouts or status of my next door neighbor, whose house caught fire during the wee hours of last Saturday night/Sunday morning. Firefighters rescued her. They carried her out of the burning building on a stretcher and rushed her to the hospital. New reports indicated she was in critical condition. But I have received no word since those initial reports.

Yesterday I observed the first day of spring by getting out of the house before day break to meet up with a group of friends to run four miles through Fairmount Park. We started at the High School of the Future, turned at the Sweet Briar cut off, continued down to the banks of the Schuylkill River along Martin Luther King Drive and then doubled back. The end of the run was fierce. Up, up, up that steep hill! I felt so invigorated to be able to stretch my limbs, take off, and run! What an awesome feeling to keep up the stamina until the end of the course we had planned for ourselves. 

But I was also keenly aware that this huge blessing is not something everyone enjoys. As I meditated and said my prayers in gratitude for surviving another winter and seeing a new spring dawn, my heart was heavy with concern for my neighbor. All attempts to garner more information about her this week have been met with replies that officials are “not authorized” to comment. (And because of HIPPA privacy laws, and other forms of liability, I certainly understand this.)

 So even as I celebrate a profound sense of gratitude that God granted me grace and spared me, I continue to pray for the welfare of my neighbor. As I continue to keep the prayer wheel turning, I ask for mercy to be bestowed on my neighbor, whatever that form of mercy may look like. And, indeed, being so grateful for this blessed life I am able to experience on a daily basis, I humble myself and extend yet even more prayers of mercy for all of you out there who may be in need today.

Asante Sana. Peace and Blessings Always.