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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julia Loveless, singer & writer

THE GIFT OF OUR BODIES

Good morning.

I can’t tell you the number of times that, as a singer, I have told someone what I do and their first, excited response is ‘ooh go on then, sing for me’. It is a rare fate, suffered by only a few professions to have such performance demanded of you upon first meeting.

You wouldn’t ask a surgeon to perform a surgery for you when you met her in the cold meats aisle at the supermarket. In fact, it is a rare thing to have your profession be something that is so immediately with you, all the time. But the fact is, every single one of us is gifted with a body and a voice.

Our bodies have the potential to stretch and strengthen, reaching the heights of new disciplines and physical achievement. Our voices can become wordsmiths, spouting poetry or wit. Our bodies can create and keep rhythm. Our voices can hum, sing, shout, cry, whisper.

The sheer diversity and breadth of what our physical beings are capable of is astounding. I dare you today to remember the body you’ve been given and find a new way to appreciate it. Instead of taking the escalator, choose the stairs. When you walk past that play park, find a swing that will fit a fully grown adult and enjoy. Read a Shakespeare sonnet aloud. Hum a made up tune to yourself as you do the washing up. The possibilities are endless.

I’m grateful today for my body and my voice, that allow me to speak and move and live. Help me appreciate them and use them more fully today. Amen.