When The Wind Blows Gathering Meditation (Alternate Versions)
We have received these alternate versions of the gathering meditation from"When the Wind Blows"from people who have adapted it to fit their needs. We provide them here with the writers' permission.
Alternate Version 1When willows and oaks bow and snap
under the weight of the wind…When the words "catastrophic event"
cease to bill big-screen entertainment
and cleave instead to pit of the stomach …When the flood waters rise and the levees break…
When the poor, the elderly, and the disabled have no means to evacuate…
When the streets are littered with wet teddy bears,
broken dishes, and shattered dreams…When the wind blows both the
wheat and the chaff of our lives in giant swirls.When words of compassion freeze on our lips, stunned by the horror…
When sanctuaries and homes become places of death and destruction...
Good Lord, anchor us in your love!
Alternate Version 2We pray for those who are displaced by the storm,
and for people who continue to live in shelters and with friends and family.We pray for those whose loved ones perished in the storm.
We pray for volunteers from across our land, who make their way to
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.We pray for those in government:
township, village, state, and federal,
who must find ways to help communities rebuild.And we, who dwell in safety,
may our emotion and compassion not be overwhelmed
and may our financial gifts
help those who are overcome in need.Amen.
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