God Archives · Blue Fern Press

Blessed Be

Ben blesses water he drinks. A Standing Rock elder taught him to thank Mother Earth and the Tualatin River. Ben is modern. He adds the EPA.

Josh dons his grandpa’s 60s-era three-piece suit. Its broad shoulders hug him as he leaves the homeless shelter. He prays he’ll get the job.

Ann drew her God with crayons as a girl. Now an old woman, when she stills her mind to pray, she sees that same orange and red ball of fire.

John and Luke went to church when visiting Alabama, because they’re church-goers. They entered holding hands and shared a Bible. That’s all.

“Are you saved?” asks a new friend, by email. Ada settles under an oak tree and replies, “God saves me every day, whether I like it or not.”

Alicia prayed aloud while doing chores. Bill, who didn’t believe, found this annoying. One day, Alicia stopped. After a week, Bill started.

At 15, Kate’s prayers were interrogations. By 25, there were none. 35 brought confessions. 45, reflection. Now 55, Kate dances jazzy thanks.

Jonquil song slowed Ann’s step. The tiny trumpets heralded God’s grace in a mighty jazz unlikely for their size. Ann forgot she was afraid.

Her glasses were clean, so it wasn’t clear why she couldn’t see the plum blossoms. God had to break a bough, so she’d trip into pink spring.

They’re just geraniums. Martha fusses over them like orchids. They were given to her with a prayer: May God help you to know you are lovely.

She’s praying. It looks like any other silence, but he knows. She’s doing dishes. God is in her eyes. She turns, smiling. He’s saved again.

Each and every person on earth stopped talking for a day. God blew a gentle wind through their hearts, and the world was forever changed.

At seven, Anna planted sunflower seeds to see them grow madly tall. At seventy, she starts marigolds in a windowbox to see golden God again.