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The morning is wet and cool with things to say before the moisture drifts east before the day lands dry upon my face Listen now, she says This morning song Clear it away Anything that does not belong Anything that clutters the altar of you Life did not give you the simplicity of order to land on knotted shoulders raised high and tight toward the ears to become chaos with nothing to give God did not give you this planted garden to turn under as soon as seeds appear What do you have to offer, if not this The simplicity of yourself the morning, noon and evening prayer of breakfast, of movement of tending tenderness as if it were everything as if it were nothing at all? Your first work is the work of truth this morning the work of autumn cleanup and preparation for guests the work of spreading beds with clean linens for cool nights of sweeping cobwebs as trite as it sounds This is when the welcome descends when the autumn air takes your breath away exhaling roominess and space with all it has to say to the world from the purity of morning which by evening will be spent Daily, this life this vessel of you must accept the offering of order and give back its reflection to the clear and stable rhythm of morning birds, evening prayer, to the watery nights that ripple steadily toward tomorrow's shore where the song will greet herself softly and start again And then, you, with the help of tenderness of sweet autumn wind will clean linens dry them in afternoon sun spread them smooth and clear and perfect and all love this altar of rest in awe, in praise of the day Questions for meditation: What is the first work of your day? How do you begin? What holds you to yourself, grounds you? How do you live a life of order that can offer the same to those around you? How do you bring relief from chaos to life? A prayer using words: Sacred Order of time and space, bring us into your rhythm, help us feel the clear ripples of your perfect time, circle by circle, pull us into yourself, so close we reflect order and peace to a world lied to by chaos. Make our days clear vessels for Peace. Amen.