taken, blessed, broken, given

Henri Nouwen uses four words to describe what he calls the "life of the beloved": taken, blessed, broken,given. Nouwen finds these words embodied by Jesus at the Last Supper as He takes the cup, breaks the bread, blesses the elements, and gives them to his friends. I find them to be a resonant expression of pregnancy, birth, and life with a newborn. This was written when Sadie was 2 weeks old.

Taken [early pregnancy]
or rather taken over, occupied, lived in, forcibly moved to another state of being.

Blessed [late pregnancy]
wished-well, given gift after gift, lavished upon, receiving benedictions from strangers and friends.

Broken [birth]
brought low, bent over, rent open, flung wide to usher out.

Given [life with a newborn]
or rather given over in love, offered up, poured out, spent to the last sweet drop for this beautiful gift.

evening prayer

I'm writing a few basic prayers to say with my children throughout the day. Here is the evening prayer, based on Psalm 4:

Lord tonight we call to you
You are right in all you do
Hear our prayer, forgive our sin,
Bring us close to you again
Keep us quiet in our beds
With happy hearts and peaceful heads
Stay close by us through the night
Safe and sound till morning light
Amen.

midday prayer

I'm writing a few basic prayers to say with my children throughout the day. Here is the midday prayer, based on Psalm 121:

Lord we turn our eyes to you
We need your help in all we do
You made the world so you know
The best way for us to go
Watching over one and all
You won't let us slip or fall
Inside, outside, everywhere
We are always in your care
Amen.

morning prayer

I'm writing a few basic prayers to say with my children throughout the day. Here is the morning prayer, based on Psalm 5:

Jesus hear us as we pray
We come to you to start this day
Because you love us we are saved
Please make us holy, strong, and brave
Protect and bless us all day long
And fill us with your joyful song
Give us favor that we might
Shine into this world your light.
Amen.