Grandmother’s Prayer for September 11th

Father, Your Word says be separate. That call is plain and old. It does not mean hiding from the world. It means choosing what shapes me well. At twenty, I thought being separate meant skipping certain parties. At seventy-six it means choosing what I let stay in my head. The shows I leave on for company. The complaints I rehearse on the phone. The conversations I keep going because the gossip is interesting. These are the things I need to be separate from now. None of them is dramatic. All of them are wearing. Lord, give me one clean break today. One thing I will simply put down. The afternoon show that leaves me restless. The phone call that lowers me every time. The small habit that is no longer harmless. Today, name the thing for me. Then steady my hand as I put it down. Fill the open space with Your presence, as You have done before when I made room. Make my old age simpler by subtraction. Be separate, You said. I am working on it. Help me work on it today. Amen.