A few years ago, my teenage son and I spent 20 nights at the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago during his four weeks of radiation treatment for brain cancer. From the House, I was able to join my cohort virtually for a Covid-modified three-day retreat as part of our two year soul care program. One morning, through the zoom screen, we offered up Thomas Keating’s Welcoming Prayer together: 

Welcome, welcome, welcome. 

I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it’s for my healing. 

I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions. 

I let go of my desire for power and control. 

I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure. 

I let go of my desire for survival and security. 

I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person, or myself. 

I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within.  

Amen. 

Our retreat assignment that day was to "saunter" with God and to share with the group that evening an object that had taught us something on our walk.  

My object lesson turned out to be a fly that landed on my son’s shoe. 

While we enjoyed the gorgeous sunshine on a nearby trail before our afternoon trek to the Radiation Center, I heard my son talking. I leaned in closer from behind his wheelchair so I could hear better. 

"Hello fly. What do you want?"  

Instead of kicking off the fly that had landed on his shoe, he was curious and welcomed its intrusion into his personal space. What could he learn from it? What might it have to teach him? 

And stopped unexpectedly in my tracks, I found myself deeply impacted by his example. 

Living out our Welcoming Prayer, my son showed me how I can better welcome intrusions into my life. To my headache that I was struggling to get rid of, I could simply say, "Hello headache. What do you want?" 

I could also reframe other events happening in and around me by asking, "What is this unwanted situation revealing about me?" instead of "How can I get out of this or avoid it happening again?" 

I wonder what kind of impact the Welcoming Prayer might have on you. What kind of "fly" might you have the opportunity to welcome into your life today? 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17