Prayer for Day's End

Boothbay Harbor Sunset 

A Prayer to Let God of the Day 


May God support us all the day long,

till the shades lengthen and 

the evening comes,

and the busy world is hushed, 

and the fever of life is over,

and our work is done.

Then in His mercy may He give us  safe lodging, a holy rest and peace 

at the last.  Amen

                                                              Cardinal Newman


Is it true that one of our most difficult tasks is to let go of the day and go to sleep?  Some of us carry so much baggage from the day, so much of the office, that there is no room left in the bed for us.  Saturated from the day, there's no room for "the self" or the sheep to count to go to sleep.  I love the prayer  that shuts down the world and then asks for God's mercy to grant safe lodging, a holy rest and peace.  That's what I see in the picture above.  The same water that churns during the day smooths out into calm and peace.  See the dory middle lower-picture ?  If you had something comfortable to lie down in, you could easily fall asleep.  What a contrast from the nor-easters that blow through and threaten to pull boats off moorings. 

I think that is the key--the moring.  Just enough rope to play out for high and low tide--anchored to the bottom that will not give way.  Perhaps we take the churning water to bed with us rather than the moring which tethers us to "the still point of the turning world."