# Living Psalm 1, Elsa Cook

Blessed has become one of those words that has a hashtag.
It’s become kind of a joke and it doesn’t feel much better to say 
that we are happy. It doesn’t feel like the same thing. 

To be happy that our praise begins here. 
Before we sing of any other joys or sorrows, 
we find happiness and even blessing in 
laboring toward love and justice. 

It is not toil but delight to find ourselves in this way
refreshing ourselves with small sips of what we hope to be in this world. 
It feels like everything starts here in this hope
and all our work flows from its source.

Or at least, we hope. 
We try. We fail sometimes.

Even when we fail, our lives will be more than a hashtag.
We’ll come rejoicing bringing love and justice into all that we say and do.