For many of us, Thanksgiving and Christmas offer a break from the rapid pace of every day life, a sense of love and joy, and the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends.

And for many of us, November and December bring a sense of loss, painful memories, and grief for what was or what might have been or what is not. Holidays can provide us with a stressful combination of these emotions.

During the bittersweet moments of my life, I find comfort in the work and words of Jan Richardson. Jan is an artist, a poet, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, and a person of incredible depth. Wherever you are today, may this blessing help you find a moment of peace.

Blessing in the Chaos

To all that is chaotic
in you,
let there come silence.

Let there be
a calming
of the clamoring,
a stilling
of the voices that
have laid their claim
on you,
that have made their
home in you,

that go with you
even to the
holy places
but will not
let you rest,
will not let you
hear your life
with wholeness
or feel the grace
that fashioned you.

Let what distracts you
cease.
Let what divides you
cease.
Let there come an end
to what diminishes
and demeans,
and let depart
all that keeps you
in its cage.

Let there be
an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath
the chaos,
where you find
the peace
you did not think
possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm.

—Jan Richardson

This blessing comes from The Painted Prayerbook. You can find more work by Jan Richardson on her website, janrichardson.com. Jan gives permission for her words to be used in worship and on websites with acknowledgment. Full information on copyright permissions can be found here.

Sarah Bentley Allred graduated with her MDiv. from Virginia Theological Seminary in May 2019. She now serves as Director of Children and Family Ministries at St. John’s in Wake Forest, NC and as the Associate for Christian Formation and Discipleship for the Department of Lifelong Learning at VTS. Sarah loves local coffee shops, board games, the beach, and exploring new places with her husband, Richard, and their dog, Grace.