Like cold water

      to a thirsty soul,

so is good news

      from a far country.

        Proverbs 25. 25

(We never can tell

     how thirsty someone is,

nor how desperate,

nor how alone they feel.

And we can never know

   how much our words

or reaching out faithfully

  profoundly impacts

                 thirsty hearts.

A word of kindness

   says I see you

           and I hear you

and you are loved,

even from a voice from the past,

a voice geographically distant,

a voice that knows their name.)

O LORD,

Help us to be sensitive

not only to those around us,

to see and acknowledge

  those who feel invisible,

but those we seldom see

     or pray for

     or even think about.

Help us to respond

   when You nudge us

to let them know tangibly

     they are thought about,

     prayed for,

             and loved.

Relationships are not limited

       to time and place.

You love us.

Help us to find ways

         to love others.