with joy and hearts filled with warmth, let us pray* in thanksgiving for the summer:
For the hot sun and humidity that dampens our shirts,
for dry breezes and thunderstorms at the end of day,
for corn grown taller than our shoulders,
for wheat ripening for harvest,
for cicadas, and - yes - even for mosquitoes to keep us humble,
we give thanks.
For the children who play outside until the very last moment,
for picnics, family reunions, slow time for rest and re-creation,
for needlessly complicated national pastimes,
concerts in the park, fireworks, time away from the world,
we give thanks.
For children going back to school - so soon!
for farmers at work in their fields,
for migrant workers, firefighters,
and all who labor in the sun,
we ask safety
and the blessing of cool, clear water.
For those who cannot enjoy summer,
those who cannot escape the heat,
those who are too poor to afford air-conditioning,
too afraid to step out for ice cream
or to walk their faith on a city street,
those whose forests and acres burn,
those who scan the skies with uneasy hearts,
those for whom August will always be a cursed month,
we ask care and compassion.
Bless us all, and refresh us in this time,
that as the shadows lengthen and autumn draws near,
our hearts made be filled with a fiery spirit
to give us and the world about us
warmth the whole winter long.
*meditate, hold in good and active thought.