Your thoughts on prayer 2

I just saw this...I am so sorry Diana!

(((((((((((((((((((((Diana)))))))))))))))))

Rita posted this lovely piece on the Good Day thread.

Every year i see the rebirth of spring as the grass turns green, flowers bud and leaves blossoms burst forth on the trees. Each sign of spring occurs at the right and perfect time, when the earth is ready to generate new life. My personal springtime occurs as i open my heart and mind to the Divine. To prepare my soul for rebirth, I pray and meditate. In quiet times with God. I shift my attention from thoughts and feelings that no longer serve me, I invite wisdom, strength and love into my life knowing that these powers propel me on my way to growth and renewal. As in nature, my renewal comes precisely when my soul is receptive and ready.And so it does for all you wonderful folks on POE. May wisdom, strength and love be with you all today.

I copied it to this thread because it IS a lovely prayer.  I read something today in one of my books - a meditation on the first day of spring.  It's from a book entitled How Shall We Celebrate? by Lorraine V. Murray.  I found it very uplifting, as is Rita's prayer above, especially given the time of year and the hard times through which many of us have been passing over the last several months.

The meditation is called "Earthly Cares"

What a joy!  After a long winter, the world is coming to life again!  Daffodils are poking their buttery heads skyward, while pear trees do their best imitation of clouds.  The squirrel that resides in our birdhouse emerged recently to sun himself upon its roof, and outside our window a persistent Carolina wren, no bigger than your thumb, trumpets a melody loud enough to wake the dead.

Welcome to spring, a time when chicks peck their way out of shells and rabbits rouse sleepily from hollows to mate and produce miniature versions of themselves.  Nature echoes the mystery of rebirth lying at the heart of faith:  bare wintry limbs, which seemed dead, now heed a secret signal to send forth tendrils of green.

How do trees know what to do - and do it so predictably?  Even the most ardent atheist has to shrug his shoulders and admit ignorance of this ancient, perfectly attuned dance of nature.  "The world is charged with the grandeur of God," wrote my favorite poet Gerard Manley Hopkins.  "It will flame out, like shining from shook foil."  And I can only say, "Amen."

"Where is God?" was one of the earliest catechism questions I learned.  Although I didn't appreciate it then, the answer was rather poetic:  "God is everywhere."  Too often we envision God perched on a throne in the clouds, while planet Earth spins along, a place where humans sweat and labor until one day we join Him in the Great Beyond.  We lose ourselves in our world of cell phones, laptops and television, while outside in our yerd, God is producing a five-star show.  Especially in spring, we can see God's imprint everywhere.  Really, in a zillion years, could any of us have designed anything as elegant and lovely as the weeping cherry tree?  As triumphant as a star magnolia in full bloom?  Or as impossible as a butterfly emerging from its cocoon?

Some religious holidays seem so ensnared in earthly things that folks bemoan the apparent lack of the sacred.  For example, as Easter approaches, the grocery store shelves are laden with stuffed rabbits, baskets of green grass and marshmallow eggs.  We might think such trappings miss the whole point, until we realize it makes sense to celebrate resurrection at a time when nature itself is doing just that.  After all, everything about this time of year heralds new life:  the humble egg, newborn animals and even a lady's Sunday hat bedecked in flowers.

After the Resurrection, Christ appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus and walked a long way beside them.  They didn't recognize him though, until he broke bread with them.  What an ordinary moment.  No trumpets.  No choirs of heavenly hosts.  Just plain old bread.  Surely if we can encounter divinity in something as humble as bread, then we can find God in the grandeurs of spring.

You must be attentive, though.  Keep a close watch on the arms of trees sprouting fine green fuzz and applaud the cheery faces of hyacinths.  Keep an eye peeled for elusive chipmunks warming their whiskers in the sun.  Don't forget that spring also beckons us to celebrate our own rebirth after bleak wintry days.  We made it through flu season and did not succumb to the latest round of scary viruses.  Whatever was broken, whether it was heart, knee or spirit, is on the mend.

Now the heart exults in rabbits, chicks, sprouting greenery and the serenade of wrens.  We break bread with friends, walk down the road with them - and come face to face with God.

Lorraine's lovely words have captured my prayer for you all this spring.

I think God's esscence showed up today through my son...I woke up and got myself an cup of coffee and was watching everyone bustling around in the house here getting ready to go ATV riding up at the mountain...and my grandaughter walks in, putting on her third "hoodie" which is like an thin shelled sweatshirt, and all of an sudden she burst out screaming and crying...she had zipped her eye lid into the zipper of this thing and was next to histerical...we just dropped everything running to her...we talked if we should cut off the shirt or what..and in walks her dad, with an "escence to him" about the time I was asking for "God's help"..she loves her dad, he set her down in the chair and said not to cry and to help him..and she did it, they took the shirt off over her head and he worked with it from there an got it off. Then I was able to "hold her" as she cried alligator tears, and then her mom after that, she was with her at the first also...and then her dad came back in, and he put his hands around her face and and gave her the most loving silent kind of "love".... radiating out to us... all just watching him...as if he was erasing it all out of her memory. She dried her eyes and took off out the door "happy" as if nothing had ever happened.That is not my son usually...though he is an good father most the time.. I know God must of been working through him this morning... Thank you... ...afterward asked for her guardian angels to watch over her today. As of now her eye lid is brownish and its swollen...but she's managing. I was talking to my sister and I told her I'd never heard of anyone doing something like this before, I known of people that slammed their hand or finger in the door, even I've done that growing up once, but she reminded me of the girls use to have metal zippers in thier peddle pushers in the 50's and occasionally would roll thier skin into the zipper. An person can never to to careful I guess. I knew "God" woudl come because I never call on him except when I REALLY need him...and it goes like that..."Dear God, please come to me right now..I REALLY need your help".... It is said in the truest sincerity from within me...and by thought.  It's not really an prayer in an way...but I've never known him not to come...not to comfort me, or solve the problem. Rather he shows up through another person, as another person, as an "white light" or as source of "energy", or as "rumbling" thunder..or as an "voice" talking by way of thought to me...he comes. He don' t come just because I want him to come either..he comes when I really need him of his own accord.  I call him, him, but "God energy" has both escence of gender in one I think. It blends and separates as it wants to do. I call this 'energy with thought". WE give God existence when we use prayer...without prayer and calling upon his name, he would not be to us "alive" in an way. Holy Holy is your name....Thine is the glory and the kindgom forever. Now for those of you whom wonder why I'm on "heart" medications, you realize how many kids I've been through such trials of growing up with around here...over 75-100 last time I counted. I could not begin to do it all by myself at times. My heart meds tell me I'm "wearing thiin" on it all these days.

Hello Ruth. I so enjoyed you morning meditation. Knowing that our  words  can in some way uplift others is all that matters Thanks.

I write my thoughts down every day, and even though things are very busy here in Barbados i still take the time every day to write. I wrote this morning the following......

When i insert a key into a lock, the tiny parts move into alignment and the lock opens. When i focus my thoughts on the center of my being, I feel the door to my inner space of peace spring open. I take just a moment to let my mind align with Divine Mind. I may have a favorite word or prayer that centers me. I gently surrender any thought of lack, discord or disease. I let it drift away. No temporary circumstance can disturb my peace. Having rested in a time of silence, I am ready to return to my activities. I am peace-ful, renewed and refreshed.

We really have to start our day in the silence. It helps us to have the life we want by being present to the life we have.

Peace.

My friend named "Ann"..my ole traveling buddy.. that passed on of cancer some years back (much like Brenda..she was young also in ways, though my mother was 48 years old when she died)..Ann) sent me an little inspirational book one time of poems..one of them says of  "Faith"...faith has neither wall nor roof, no concrete offering of proof. It's substance frail as the winds that pass, As image seen in mirrored glass. Yet mountains move and valleys fill... When faith is linked to wish and will. (Katherine Edelman)

My condlences on your friend's passing, she's out of pain now most likely...and is in an better place... I know, I've been there nearly several times myself in my life. It's "bliss" uncomparable to this realty. Very few people that have near-death expereinces want to come back, but they do for various reasons..sometimes its the "love" of others.

Shirley, that's  wonderful story about your son.  And I love the Katherine Edelman quote.

Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the piece I put up, but I was inspired to do so by your lovely piece.  Thank you.  I had to post somebody else's writing because it was so beautiful.  But I wish I had your way with words.

Barbara, I'm glad you enjoyed it too.  Nice to be reminded sometimes isn't it?  This was my favorite part: