As we rejoice in the gift of this new day

I've talked elsewhere a bit about prayer and the comfort of the CofE's Daily Prayer app (you can also find morning & evening prayer and compline HERE - with the ability to listen to it too); the ability to be able to listen to it and that it's not the same every day - sometimes the responsory and psalms are sung and other days said - makes it an easy thing to participate in. The headline is a quote from it just after the opening of morning prayer; it brings into context of this prayer at the start of the day. For me it's a comfort, it's acknowledging what might be ahead and that God is with us in it. The full text is:-

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;

let us pray with one heart and mind.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,

so may the light of your presence,

O God,set our hearts on fire with love for you;

now and for ever.

Over the course of the last couple of months I've had the privilege - the immense privilege - of being able to look forward to a new day that has been set aside, days that have been in my plans for sometime being reality. Time in isolation and time with others. Time as a small spec on the quilt that is the beauty of the countryside that I was travelling in.

In this time in between my weeks travelling England and Scotland and the river cruise that will take Nikki and me from Bucharest to Amsterdam there is more time to reflect. I've tried to also get back to some gym work to stop the joints from creaking too much! Nikki and I are both gym go-ers but take a slightly different view to it - she is much better at all round exercise; a combination of weights and cardio - I get bored with the former and love the latter. For years I've been somewhat 'addicted' to spin classes (essentially the closest to riding a racing bike indoors - intense workouts over the course of 45 minutes or so). I'm a lazy gym attender but once I'm there and start I know the good that it does me both mentally and physically. Over the course of this past week I've taken to the treadmill and set myself the goal of running 5kms each time (Nikki hates the treadmill and finds it boring - I enjoy it and get into a rhythm as well as setting myself some goals); over the course of the last few sessions I've got the time down a bit and continue to challenge myself. And I feel better for it.

Each day is a gift. I think that for too many years I've taken a new day for granted. It's been easy just to settle into the same pattern. Roll out of bed, go to work, not notice the day or pause to reflect on what has been, what has gone, what is coming and the interactions that have taken place. Perhaps that's a bit extreme as I'm so lucky with the variety in my ministry as well as all the wonderful people I interact with. I'm more determined than ever that once I do get back to work and the daily routine, I will pay more attention, to rejoice more, be more deliberately thankful and recognise the gift that I'm given and the gift of the interactions that I have and what is and has been around me.

I am so fortunate in so many respects and have so much to be thankful to God for. It's not something that I've taken for granted but perhaps I've not been deliberately grateful enough for it. I'm determined that that will now change.

O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.