In March 2020, in the early stages of stay-at-home orders and “shutdowns,” Parkview Health staff began what would become a ten-month endeavor. They called this The Daily Dose.  It included conversations with staff members, encouragement, and prayers from members of the chaplaincy staff. This was my first prayer.  

God.

You ask us to come to you when we need wisdom.
We need wisdom now that goes beyond our training.
You tell us to come to you when we need strength.
We need our strength renewed
so that we can run and not be weary;
so we can walk and not faint.

You ask us to come to you when we are afraid.
We are afraid, a little, for our friends, for our families, for ourselves,
We need our courage renewed and our hearts encouraged and
a peace that comes when we don’t expect it.

We ask for all of these today for each part of our team.

For one more hallway cleaning,
For one more procedure,
For one more day at home,
For one more meal preparation,
For one more activate,
For one more blood draw,
For one more tear,
For one more smile,

We ask for courage and strength and peace.

Amen.

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In March 2021, Hope and I assembled those and other prayers and reflections into “God. We Still Need You”: A Year of Pandemic Prayer and Practice from a Hospital Chaplain. It feels a little like a spiritual journal of the first year of the pandemic. As the book celebrates its first year this week, I invite you to check it out as a way of remembering where we were then. For me, it’s a way to remember how much my coworkers wondered.

Part of the book I’m most grateful for are the Foreword by Curtis Smith, the Afterword by Jana Vastbinder, and the art and editorial work by Hope Smith.