In praise of chat

I have a couple weeks off, plus we finally have a separate website for the church: it's time to reclaim this site as my blog. And so I’m trying to remember what I like to write about when I don’t have sermons or essays due. As I rootled around the files, I found a Psalm I wrote awhile back which really resonated, perhaps because, with fewer friends and a husband away half the time, life in this new city can be a bit lonely. A slightly different version first appeared in Zadok Perspectives No. 129 (December 2015).

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How right it is to sit with friend and cup of tea.

How precious to see a hint of glee in her eye, or glint of tears,

or small frown as she encounters new ideas.

How fine to hear voices joined in laughter!

How healing the gentle silence which falls,

grants grace, after story strange and sad.

How good to chat as children roam house, raid biscuit tin;

as teens and husbands wander in,

settle at table, join the exchange.

Praise the One who gives tongues to talk,

minds to think, wit to play!

Praise the One from whom stories flow,

blessings grow, and songs take flight!

Whose words wrought worlds,

whose love begets love,

who seeks conversation between us, and Above.