10/25/24

NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 10/25


It's my experience that the Holy Spirit nudges us towards prayer in a variety of ways, shapes and forms. Tonight's prayer is an example.  My friend, John McGinty, recently moved to Ireland where he continues to minister in his retirement.   Yesterday he posted a poem on his substack that called me to prayer like a bell sounding in church steeple.  I'm pleased, with his permission, to share it with you here - and I'm grateful for wherever the Spirit may lead you through John's words. A note: with a poet's license here, John goes light on punctuation

Chance Meeting

It’s rain tonight he said,
as we passed along the street. 
 
Aye, he continued, enough of it, 
and predicted for three days now. 
 
I looked him in the eye and just said it,
You’re raining yourself, tears in your eyes, no?
 
There are, the simple response. 
Silence, then
evening is the time for them
The light is low and people look past, 
on their way home. 
 
But why, I pursued gently, why tears at all?
Because, he said slowly,
because I have lived long enough 
to have loved and lost more.
When I’m tired
moving slow and my guard is down,
I see their faces, I hear their voices and 
he said no more.  
 
You’re a good man, I offered.
Am I? he smiled now, tears still there. 
I’m just a man, that’s all.
Good night now, he moved on with a wave, 
we’ll get wet we will,
but we’ll dry again.

- John McGinty

My first thought was that I'd find no song to pair well with John's words - or that something instrumental  might work... But in searching I came across this piece by Matt Hammitt.  It's not a perfect match but I believe both Matt and the man encountered in John's poem agree: "we'll get wet we will, but we'll dry again..."
 
Tears by Matt Hammitt
 
If a video doesn't appear below, click here!
 
 

  

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