Bones

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak. (Psalm 31:9-11)

Today I am feeling distressed. It has been a trying time in our family, and all of us are sleep-deprived and unhappy to some degree. There's a lot of anger, a lot of misunderstanding, a lot of blame, misplaced and otherwise. So this psalm is my prayer today. As with many of the psalms that give voice to distress, it eventually turns to God, and I'm remembering and reciting these words today:

But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God
Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:14 & 24)

From a happier time: Viewing a "centaur skeleton" at Orlando's Skeleton Museum!