A Prayer of Anchoring

I turn 58 today, and as has been the tradition at The Wild Reed, I mark the occasion of my birthday by sharing a song, prayer and/or reflection that I find particularly meaningful; that speaks to where I’m at on my journey.*

This year I’ve decided to share a prayer by Joyce Rupp from her book Return to the Root: Reflections on the Inner Life. Rupp is a gifted and prolific writer of spiritual material, most notably of prayers. In my work as a hospital chaplain I sometimes draw on prayers she’s written and either use then directly or in an adapted form with my patients.

The prayer of Joyce Rupp’s that I share today is entitled “A Prayer of Anchoring.” I’m drawn to it as with everything going on in the world right now, along with some things I’m dealing with in my personal life, I’m feeling the need to be centered – or, as Rupp says, anchored – in God in a very consistent and intentional way. Rupp’s prayer beautifully speaks to this desire, this need.

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A Prayer of Anchoring

I turn to you, Holy One,
in this time of turmoil
amid the waters of life and I pray:

Anchor my mind in your unswerving serenity
that lies beneath the wild waves of my discontent.

Anchor every heartbeat and breath of mine
in the wide ocean of your endless compassion.

Anchor ongoing longings for world peace
in the stream of your eternal harmony.

Anchor a respect for every human being
in the clear waters of your non-judgment.

Anchor in the steady undercurrent of your justice
each choice to end unbearable injustice.

Anchor deeply in your merciful forgiveness
any inner surges toward retaliation and revenge.

Anchor the best of my talents and abilities
to serve generously in the reservoir of your grace.

Anchor in the depths of your divine wisdom
my questions and concerns about the future.

Anchor every storm that riles my heart
in the gracious tranquility of your abiding love.

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Lately I’ve been feeling somewhat adrift; not as centered and balanced as I know I can be and have been in the past. I know exactly what I need to do about this, and that is to develop and practice discipline in both my physical and spiritual life. Because I’m aware that the development of any kind of disciplined practice takes both focus and time, I’ve decided to take a hiatus from blogging for the next month or so as I work on establishing a physical exercise regime and a more consistent spiritual practice, one involving daily morning meditation. (Of course, this is not the first time I've taken a break from working on The Wild Reed. See, for instance, here, here, here and here.)

I know from experience that regular physical exercise and daily meditation works wonders in centering my mind, body and spirit in an awareness of the Divine Presence – the Living Light – within and around me. Such awareness is transformative.

Something else that centers me in an awareness of God is time spent with loved ones, with people who make a positive and transformative difference in my life. In celebrating my 58th birthday, I spent time with a number of such people, as you’ll see in the following images.

Above: My birthday celebrations got off to an early start with a wonderful brunch with my friends Rick (left) and Brian at Keys Café and Bakery in Roseville on Friday, October 20.

Above: Friends Tim and Colleen – Saturday, October 21, 2023. That’s Fiona, their Great Dane, in bed for the night on the couch.


Left: With Tim.

Tim and I were housemates from 2012-2018. (For some great pics of our time together, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.)

Above: With my friend Adnan – Sunday, October 22, 2023.

Above: A birthday eve dinner with friends (from left) John, Scott, Alicia, Dee, Phil, Liana, Amelia, and Noelle – Sunday, October 22, 2023.

Above: Pictured this morning celebrating my birthday with my wonderful colleagues on the interdisciplinary Palliative Care team at Mercy Hospital. I serve as the interfaith spiritual health provider (or chaplain) on this team.

From left: Nikki, Steph, Kari, Kate, Maddie and me. Another member of our team, Jenna, was away today.

Above: With members of Mercy Hospital’s Spiritual Care department. From left: Deanna, Aaron, Stephanie, Barson and me – October 23, 2023.

Above: Autumn beauty – today, Monday, October 23, 2023.


POSTSCRIPT: The celebrations continue! . . .

Above: With my Palliative Care team colleagues at Tandoor, an Indian restaurant in Maple Grove, MN – Wednesday, October 25, 2023. From left: Nikki, Kari, Steph, Maddie, me, and Kate.

Above: With my dear friend Joan at Hai Hai, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Minneapolis – Thursday, October 26, 2023.

Above: With my friends (and downstairs neighbors) Kathleen, Joseph and Calvin – Saturday, October 28, 2023.

With it being the Halloween weekend, we watched the first episode of the 2016 supernatural drama The Living and Dead. Set in rural England in the late 1800s, this BBC production is described by Noelle K. Bowles as “a complex tale of grief and horror that weaves its threads from violent personal and national history.”

Above: With my friend Angie at the Good Earth restaurant in The Galleria in Edina, MN – Sunday, October 29, 2023.

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* As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s somewhat of a tradition to mark my birthday here at The Wild Reed by sharing a song or prayer or reflection that I find particularly meaningful. On my 44th birthday, for instance, I shared Stephan Gately’s performance of “No Matter What,” and when I turned 45 I shared “Where the Truth Lies” by the band Exchange.

In 2012, when I turned 47, I shared a prayer for balance at a very trying time, not only for myself, but for many of us here in Minnesota.

Seven years ago, on the first day of my fiftieth year, I shared a “guidepost on the journey,” and then one year later on the day of my 50th birthday, I shared Buffy Sainte-Marie’s rousing “It’s My Way.”

In 2017, when I turned 52, I shared a poem by John O’Donohue; while on my 53rd birthday I shared “Love Is,” a beautiful meditation on the mystery of love by my favorite male vocalist Carl Anderson.

The year I turned 54 I shared “This Is the Time,” a beautiful song by Senegalese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Daby Touré, and when I turned 55 it was Black’s “Wonderful Life” that encapsulated much of what I found myself experiencing at that time.

When I turned 56 I shared Dusty Springfield’s reflective recording “Home to Myself,” while last year on my 57th birthday I shared the song “The Long Ride Home” by Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Deeper Understandings
• Home to Myself
• Moments of Wonder
• This Is the Time
• With Love Inside
• On This “Echoing-Day” of My Birth
• Turning 50
• A Guidepost on the Journey
• In the Eye of the Storm, a Tree of Living Flame
• Journeying Into the Truth . . . Valiantly, of Course
• No Matter What

See also:
• Shining On . . . Into the New Year
• In the Midst of the “Great Unraveling,” a Visit to the Prayer Tree
• A Sacred Pause
• Aligning With the Living Light
• Mystical Participation
• Threshold Musings
• Stepping Out of Time and Resting Your Mind
• In the Stillness and Silence of This Present Moment
• The Beauty and Challenge of Being Present in the Moment
• Today I Will Be Still
• Cultivating Stillness
• I Need Do Nothing . . . I Am Open to the Living Light
• Dwelling in Peace
• Finding Balance in the Presence of the Beloved
• Your Peace Is With Me, Beloved One
• Resting in the Presence of the Beloved