Streams of Mercy

I’ve always had a fondness for rainy days that come on Monday! Such days are quiet and reflective, and it feels as though I’m resting in my life and looking out on the world around me. Today I was reminded of “A Mirror of Questions at the End of the Day.” The piece comes from a book that’s an old favorite: To Bless the Spaces Between Us, by Jack O’Donohue. In one season of my life, I turned to these questions at the end of each day:

What dreams did I create last night?

Where did my eyes linger today?

Where was I blind?

Where was I hurt without anyone noticing?

What did I learn today?

What did I read?

What new thoughts visited me?

What differences did I notice in those closest to me?

Whom did I neglect?

Where did I neglect myself?

What did I begin today that might endure?

How were my conversations?

What did I do today for the poor and the excluded?

Did I remember the dead today?

Where could I have exposed myself to the risk of something different?

Where did I allow myself to receive love?

With whom today did I feel most myself?

What reached me today?

How deep did it imprint?

Who saw me today?

What visitations had I from the past and from the future?

What did I avoid today?

From the evidence why was I given this day?

Reflecting on each day in this “mirror of questions” is a reminder that every day is a gift, to be received with joy and gratitude, and to be used well! I once read, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.” So very true.

Elizabeth