September The Twenty-Fifth

A DAILY PRAYER

I LIFT my heart to Thee and pray
Thy will, not mine, be done this day ---
And let Thy will direct, and lead,
Thy bounty answer every need.
I am not anxious, for I know
Thy light the perfect way will show.
Thy understanding fills my mind,
To make me tolerant and kind;
Thy love and wisdom grow in me
Till only good, in all, I see.
And as upon thy strength I lean,
Comes Thy fulfillment, joy serene;
Thy will of service, growth and health,
Contentment, freedom, and the wealth
Of spiritual blessings rare,
That those that follow Thee may share;
And as day closes, I grow still
To thank Thee, Father, for Thy will.

-- MRS. W.W. TALMAN

July The Twentieth

O ALMIGHTY God, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, whose trust is under the shadow of Thy wings, may, through the help of Thy power, overcome all evils that rise up against us - Amen.

-- ROMAN BREVIARY

Photo by Cornell Capa, September 1946

June The Twenty-Fifth

THE INSUSCEPTIBLES

Then the long sunlight lying on the sea
Fell, folded gold on gold; and slowly we
Took up our decks of cards, our parasols,
The picnic hamper and the sandblown shawls
And climbed the dunes in silence. There were two
Who lagged behind as lovers sometimes do,
And took a different road. For us the night
Was final, and by artificial light
We came indoors to sleep. No envy there
Of those who might be watching anywhere
The lustres of the summer dark, to trace
Some vagrant splinter blazing out of space.
No thought of them, save in a lower room
To leave a light for them when they should come.

by ADRIENNE RICH

photo of children on Cape Cod sand dunes by Cornell Capa, 1946