For All the Saints

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..."Hebrews 12:1

For All the Saints

For all the saints, Lord, I give you thanks.
Not so much the famous ones we all know (though they have done great things for your Church) -- 
  Patrick, Teresa, John of the Cross, Francis,
  Peter, Paul, Andrew, James, Anthony,
  Joan of Arc, Juliana of Norwich, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
  and all the others who have their special day
  on the calendar...

No, for ALL the saints, Lord, I give you thanks -- 

• the Sunday school teachers who spend their Saturday nights cutting out paper angels and hearts for their classes;
• the gentlemen who pull candy and gum out of their pockets for the children before church;
• the person who turns around in their pew and smiles at the visitor;
• the husband and wife who quietly tend the garden at the church during the week;
• the small group that delivers food to one of their sick friends;
• the choir members who show up every week to sing with joy and happiness;
• the crew that shows up to help build a house for someone they have never met, because it's what Jesus would have them do;
• the elderly who are confined to their homes, but who still pray every day for your people;
• the grandmothers who make sure their grandchildren are in church;
• the people who unconditionally and enthusiastically welcome and embrace the child with special needs;
• the ladies who prepare snacks and crafts for after-school children, week after week after week;
• the young man who goes out of his way to say "hello" to the awkward, lonely person in the room;
• the ones who show up day after day, week after week, year after year, for the sole purpose of worshiping you and loving you with all their being; and who seek to love their neighbor quietly and faithfully every day...

For ALL the saints, Lord, I give you thanks.
For their faithful witness to your love,
for their desire to serve you in any and every way they are able,
for the joy they exude,
for their unsolicited kindness,
for the friendship they offer,
for their willingness to forgive,
for their quiet, everyday love for you and your church,
and for the ways they have made me a better person --
I give you thanks.

And I pray that I may be a saint for someone, some day.