Psalm 109:25-26

25 Help me, O LORD my God;*

save me for your mercy's sake.

26 Let them know that this is your hand,*

that you, O LORD, have done it.

As I finish my time at the Sugar Shack, I wonder if the time I spent in service to our community is purposeful.  I find myself smiling as I trek back up the path to my car.  My coat is sticky with the residue of sweet syrup.  I think it even coats my skin and hair.

And so it is with God’s love.  I am covered in the sweet love of God.  Covered by God’s grace and mercy.  A film that can never be washed away.  Maybe it can’t be seen by anyone else.  But I know it’s there and it changes the way I wake up everyday, how I spend my time, who I am from the inside out.  

Thank you God for the life you have given to me.  For the health and able-bodiedness which allows me to share my time in service.  Thank you for the pileated woodpeckers, the nut-hatches, the red-shouldered hawk, the cool spring water, and for the wise mentors who have shared their time and experience with me.

-Ellyn Siftar