We have been shattered into pieces
divisive patter has demeaned us
Let’s commit to redeem peace around us.
In this room
In this city,
Let our faith bloom in the gritty places
Among all creeds and races.
Let our Rotary service
shine to all who observe us.
.
.
For free use within Rotary. Please give acknowledge Shawn Bird of Shuswap Rotary as the author when you present the invocation. Please also leave a message for her in the comments so others know where and when this invocation has been used.
At this difficult season
When opinions impale reason
May we not divide
but warmly abide
within a strong fellowship
built on relationships
of respectful courtesy
as we serve our community.
May we rise as *votary
to the service of Rotary.
.
*vocabulary- a ‘votary’ is a devoted adherent.
For free use within Rotary. Please credit Shawn Bird of Shuswap Rotary, District 5060 with authorship when you present the invocation at your club, and please leave a comment below so Rotarians know when and where it’s been used. Thank you.
Small voices
fill the sky with
red and white laughter
and waving maple leaves.
February 23rd is the birthday of Rotary. Paul Harris, was 37 when he gathered some professional connections and they formed the world’s first service club in Chicago in 1905.
Service is action in support of others. A small action can make a difference. It isn’t about glamour; it’s about need. A toilet is a rather basic thing, but the simple addition of public toilets in down town Chicago in 1907 surely offered the blissful relief of basic urgencies for many a person!
Let us remember that service is about meeting the needs of others, and that when we serve those needs, we can provide blissful relief at the most basic level. Let us be thankful we have the means and ability to change lives with our most simple service.
© Shawn Bird 2012. Free use within Rotary. Please credit Shawn’s authorship, and leave a message in the Comment area below explaining when and where you used her words. Thanks!
Shawn L. Bird 