Free writing to find forgiveness
“For the Christian there is no defeat, because Christ is risen and lives in us.”–Thomas Merton, He is Risen
WRITING PROMPT Br. Paul Quenon, a Cistercian monk who studied under Thomas Merton, ends every day by writing a haiku about his spiritual journey over the previous 24 hours (you can download this collection). A classic haiku contains three lines totaling 17 syllables — five on the first line, seven on the second, and five on the third.
In response to this Merton meditation, with an eye toward a new start in the new year, distill your experience with defeat, ending with a statement of power through hope.