I spend time each morning reading a little devotional from Henri. He has a prayer I am memorizing. I like to picture Dad and Henri holding my hands as I pray this.

Henri’s Prayer

I am full of wishes,
full of desires,
full of expectations.
Some of them may be realized, many may not,
but in the midst of all my satisfactions
and disappointments,
I hope in you.

I know that you will never leave me alone
and will fulfill your divine promises.
Even when it seems that things are not going my way,
I know that they are going your way
and that in the end your way is the
best way for me.

O Lord, strengthen my hope,
especially when my many wishes are not fulfilled.
Let me never forget that your name is Love.

Amen.

I love praying this prayer imagining Dad holding my hand because I know some of his most earnest prayers were not answered, such as his mom’s healing and his own healing from cancer.

I imagine how he would counsel me. What am I wishing, desiring, and especially expecting of God? Why am I wanting this? What is the ultimate reason? As I sift through the rubric of answers, the sum of all these desires and wishes ultimately lead to the communion of love with all—the beloved family full of friends and enemies turned friends—the stranger, the foreigner, the lost and hurting, dear beloved brothers and sisters celebrating at the table of the Lord.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,