Category Archives: Life

A Blessing of the Cats

08 Thursday Aug 2024

Posted by in Life, Pop, Pop Culture, Prayers

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Holy Crafter of all Creatures Great and Small-

Our beloved meow-makers and purr-producers are some of our greatest gifts.
The cats in our lives paint our hearts with joy and our homes with fur.

We give thanks for the ways we feel peace as we pet their backs
And talk with them as if they are our children.

Whether it be hairballs left on the floor or scratches in the furniture,
We know their imperfections still delight our souls.

May their health be well,
May their temperaments be…whatever “normal” cat-like behavior is.
May they enjoy looking out for insects and rodents for us
(But not leave them as “gifts” on our doormats),
May they stay away from anything that could poison their well-being.
And may they find joy – even when they seem like they are ignoring us.

We bless the cat-parents, the foster-families, and the ones who care for our felines.
May their hearts appreciate their beloved pets,
As they rub their heads against our hands,
As they sit upon our laps,
And as they follow us around the house.

God of all Joy,
Bless these beautiful beings,
Their stripes of many colors
Their fur of various lengths,
And meows of many volumes.

Amen.

A Prayer for National Donut Day

07 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Holidays, Life, National Day Prayers, National Donut Day, Pop, Pop Culture, Prayers

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God of the Circle Desserts and Square Breads,

In this Holy and Holely world, we walk the line of the sacred and profane, the healthy and unhealthy, the joyous and morose. We fill our lives with delicious desserts and bland vegetables.

You continue to call us to paths of celebration – even through the wilderness. And even when life discourages us, we mark the deliciousness of today: National Donut Day.

The delightful dough dropped into the fryer, converting bread-like fare into a deceptively delicious dessert. Tables have been transformed into joyous parties. Breakfast has received a pleasure like no other. Coffee has a friend as the bitter and sweet have danced together, creating a treat for many to enjoy.

Bless the donuts and makers of donuts. We know donut-making time is early, and the days are long. Bless the glaze and powdered sugar and all of the miraculous fillings.

And thank you for friends who bring us donuts and coffee to bring joy into our lives.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian.

A Lament of a Misogynistic Speech

15 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in Current Events, Life, Pop, Pop Culture, Prayers, Social Justice

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God of talents reaching all of humanity,

We have reached beyond the barriers of a new millennium by a quarter of a century. We’ve seen the progress which all genders have made. We’ve celebrated the gifts which all genders experience. No matter your gender, you contribute to this world in all types of ways. There are no limits-

Until a commencement speech says otherwise. Back in the kitchen? God we don’t all have culinary skills. Women as homemakers? Maybe some women, or men, or non-binary friends because that is THEIR calling. And not everyone has the same gifts.

I’m no homemaker. You didn’t call me to such spaces. You asked me to preach, to teach, to care for the sick, to encourage my neighbor, to inspire.

And as many women look ahead to the future with bursting dreams, their graduation speaker tells them that home is where they need to be.

I couldn’t imagine being a women in 1950, dreadfully forced to stay home and cook. Urged to set aside ambition of using my calling and gifts. Yet, here we are with men wanted to ship us back to the mid-20th century.

Bless the women who are homemakers. Bless all genders who are called to care for the home and children. We give thanks for their calling as we know it’s their own.

But Holy Dreamer and Deliverer of Gifts, you didn’t limit us based on gender or anything else. So let’s toss aside his voice and move ahead knowing that you, God, is bigger than his image of you. You rip expectations apart as you fill this world with every possibility imaginable.

May you Spirit turn over these small-minded misogynists as they learn to open themselves to YOUR dreams.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian

Artwork by ArtsyBee on Pixabay

A Blessing for the Words We Need

01 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in Life, Pop, Prayers

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God who paints the world with images, letters, and colors-

As the world spins on its axis,
As day and night rapidly waltz throughout our lives,
Our expressions design the relationships between us and friends,
Between us and loved ones,
Between us and strangers,
Between us and enemies.

We reach for the right words when penning a letter to a relative
Or making the call to end a relationship.
We crave the appropriate sentiments as we dare stand for ourselves
Or issue an apology.
We seek the right terms when our friends weep with grief
Or when we desire to write the perfect poem.

Letter and languages often escape us, God of Words.
Into the fog of our minds go phrases and terms.
We give much gratitude for the thesaurus,
For the plethora of synonyms to make our language elegant.
And when all of the concepts come together on a page
Or in a speech
Or in a conversation
Or in a prayer,
We sing your praises
God of commandments and covenants.

May words reach our minds quickly.
May sentiments be appropriate and soothing.
May peace and comfort flow from our hearts
Using the words you need us to say.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Lament for Constant Anxiety

29 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in grief, Health, Life, Pop, Prayers

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Divine Deliverer of All Beings,

As the vibrations under my skin reach unheard of levels,
And my heart shivers at the state of the outside world,
I curse my mind and all of its thoughts as it drags me down a shadow-filled road.

Oh mind, you think of everything,
Yes all the good, and all the ideas,
Blessings of creativity and newness of plans!
For this, Steadfast God, I am forever grateful!

Yet, as my brain connects A and B, left and right, red and green,
It births horrors and creates day-mares.
What will go wrong? Who is it that isn’t happy?
What could fail or fall tomorrow… or later today?
What streaks of messiness will it create next?

God, I know you have given me my brain.
It’s beautiful and gifted and gives me what I need.
But there are spinoffs and offshoots from the synapses-
Paving me sparkly roads of people pleasing,
Creating curvy roads of perfectionism.

And yet I still thank you for my brain,
The constant working – even the overfunctioning of its synapses.
For with the disastrous thoughts there are many good.
For with the messiness, there is love.
For with the anxiety, there is care.
This blessed brain is needed here.

Amen.

(c) 2024 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

Photo by KeilaSmile24 on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-think-mind-man-alone-8584099/

A National Backward Day Prayer

31 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in Life, National Day Prayers, Pop, Pop Culture

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God of the Upside Downs,

You’ve created the beauty of chaos, the accidental inside out clothing, the wrong turns, and the incorrect spellings. None of these upset you in the same ways they shake us. Instead, you continue to find light even in the bizarreness of life.

In the moments when we are frustrated by the slowness of computers and drivers ahead of us, we ask for your patience. When we are stopped by each red light along the way and the ultra-slow train, we plead with you for peace.

May we co-create joy in the most unlikely valleys and alleys. May we work together to turn backwards into the most interesting of ways.

May we remember that you are in the passengers seat even when we put the gears in reverse and head in the wrong direction.

Amen.

A Prayer When Missing Our Loved Ones

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in grief, Life

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Holy Vessel of Memories-

Our minds church with the memories of loved ones-
Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, Friends, and more.
In our holey hearts,
There is an emptiness remaining after their deaths.
Their last words frozen in our minds.
Their last embrace a memory in our muscles.

Maybe it’s been a week, or a year,
Or a few decades ago.
But their loss reverberates throughout our lives.
We feel a presence missed at big events.
And in the small moments, we feel a tear rolling down our cheeks.
With a song on the radio or hymn in the sanctuary,
We recall the sound of their voices belting out the melody.

Loving God, Holy Salve of Loneliness,
Heal the aches in our souls from grief,
Give us the grace to move past the regrets,
Help us to keep the memories of love
And release the pains which echoed from our times together.
Give us the discernment needed to part with their items no longer needed,
And may we honor them through the light we continue to shine.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Prayer of Grace for Failed Goals

04 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Epiphany Liturgy/Prayers, Holidays, Hygge, Life

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Divine Journal of Visions and Dreams,

Before I close the last year’s calendar,
I scan each page for the moments of joy-
For the blessings and the tasks done well,
For the moments which will shine in my memories for eternity.
Holy God, I share much gratitude for those moments of bliss etched into my soul.

And then…

For the many ways my plans never came to fruition,
For the goals that stagnated and the dreams that fell asleep,
For the visions that danced only in my mind and never in front of me,
And for the ways I let my anxiety overwhelm the path ahead,
I lament.
I ask for forgiveness in the ways I could have stretched myself just a little more-
And then I ask for forgiveness as I didn’t embrace grace for myself.
I may believe I only gave 25%,
But the 25% was really 100% of what I was able to contribute.
I gave my whole self when my body could give no more.
I used my mind the best I could.
And now, as the calendar closes, it’s time to clothe myself in mercy
And see myself as your child, a beloved piece of the puzzle.

For all the failures and incomplete dreams, I give gratitude as well.

In this new year,
May I continue to work to be my most optimal self,
To care for my neighbor as you have asked,
To grow in the ways you are calling,
And to forgive myself for falling short of perfection.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

A Prayer of Gratitude for Sabbath

28 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Holidays, Hygge, Life, Pop

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Divine Deliverer of Rest,

As workdays stretch brains and bodies,
and minds feel like mush at the end of a day,
I give gratitude for a few days of rest.

My focus is drawn away from fretting over the details of the day-to-day.
Instead, my soul relaxes to the sounds of Netflix and video games.
The taste of chocolate and cheese.
Or maybe a good book. Or hobby-time.

And throughout this week, I’m investing my time with loved ones-
since I have pushed our time aside with them in pursuit of perfected production
and have shamefully embraced a “live to work” mentality.

As my brain restores to a restful state-
like a battery recharging overnight-
and clarity returns to my mind,
creativity builds inside of my soul.

O Holy One-
Allow me to find the blessing of balance moving forward,
to embrace the strength to say no,
to prioritize Sabbath over overachieving,
to recharge my mind and body, and spirit,
and to realize time with loved ones is a gift from you.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.

Prayer of Grief for the Losses on our Card List

21 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Advent prayers, grief, Holidays, Life, Pop, Prayers

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Divine Deliverer of All Greetings-

As we scan the names of loved ones on our holiday card list, we ache with the absences reminded by this list. We’ve lost the aunts, uncles, cousins, old loves, and friends. As they abide with you on that side of heaven, our hearts hunger for their presence. Our breath is taken away by the sight of their names. The lights of this season is dimmed just a little more with each loss.

God of All Connections, our ties with some love ones on the list have stretched and broken. They remain here on this earth, but our contact is minimal to none. Due to our falling-out, there is pain that radiates throughout our spirits.

And some on our list have just drifted away as we’ve grown apart. While there are little hurt feelings, melancholy rises as nostalgia draws us away from the present moment to a time that will never be again.

Holy Comfort- Heal our hearts with each pinprick of sadness or wave of grief. May we remember the joyful times often. Ease the hard memories that linger.

For your children who are still alive, please bless their paths that divert from ours. May their health be sustained, and may their new year find bountiful blessings.

For the loved ones of saints who will no longer be on the list: deliver strength to them during this holiday season. May your comfort coat their hearts and peace fill their souls.

And for the saints we marked off the list this year or years before: May they live into the eternal lights of Epiphany and absorb the fullness of your presence and love.

Amen.

(c) 2023 Rev. Michelle L. Torigian. Permission to use with attribution.