Writing in Snow

Fast Day 8 Poem and Gratitude List

Jalál (Glory), 8 ‘Alá’ (Loftiness) 175 B.E. - Saturday, March 9, 2019

"O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence. O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy. O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony. O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind. O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together. O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence. Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind."

Abdu’l-Baha1

Prayer and Action2

Word by word I read
a prayer for unity,
afterwards
I contemplate
how my actions reflect
my desire for unity.

Gratitude List For 8 ‘Alá’

Today I am thankful ...
          ...that my Bank of America checking account is not overdrawn today.
          ...for fresh brewed hot black coffee on this chilly morning.
          ...that I was able to complete the article A Small Town’s Simple Approach To Peace   by Badi Shams this morning.
          ...for the Baha'i Prayer app I have on my smartphone because I can access the sacred writings and prayers anyplace I go with my phone.
          ...that I have $15.39 in my Send Earnings account.
          ...for the peppermint candy cane I have for my afternoon snack.
          ...that I have 306 points in my Survey Junkie account.
          ...for the tuna on rye sandwich I had for lunch.
          ...that I have 445,018 GPs in my Gift Points account.
          ...for writing.com and the wonderful people who are members.
          ...that time springs forward on March 10 at 2:00 am, and that both my computer and smartphone reset themselves.

Footnotes
1  The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 100.
2  I posted this poem on Poet 999 - A Butterfly Emerges From Her Cocoon https://poet999.blogspot.com/2019/03/prayer-and-action.html.