[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 22]
[House]
[Pages 29707-29708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:

[[Page 29708]]

  The first touch of snow startled Washington as Your soft whisper of 
winter upon us, Lord. Not enough to stall the driving force in the 
Nation's Capital, it melts like political words on the air; yet 
penetrates the grounding of all future plans.
  Lord, this thin white curtain fell on our scene, a seeming call for 
purification of intentions. Quite unsure if we are ready to be fully 
clothed with Your victory of total transformation, we beg for more time 
as if it were not already given freely.
  Send us more gentle snow, Lord, if it will awaken within us the 
hidden child who accepts Your surprising sky with a quiet smile. 
Brighten our shortened days, Lord, that we may take delight again in 
Your creation and prepare to celebrate the approaching day of Your 
visitation, when You embraced all our limitations and kept loving us 
anyway.
  Amen.

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