Hear these words of thanksgiving and of lament.

Ours be a prayer of gratitude,

raising praise for life that sustains and renews,

to grace that surrounds and surprises,

for the abiding truth: there is no separation

between us and the rest

of the interdependent web

of all existence.

Ours be a lament of despair

in the form of a poem by Adrienne Rich:

My heart is moved by all I cannot save.

So much has been destroyed.

I have to cast my lot with those who,

age after age, perversely,

with no extraordinary power,

reconstitute the world.

May we walk lightly,

May we seek humbly,

May we breathe deeply,

May we bring compassion,

May we be whole.