Slowing Down and Yielding to the Beautiful

I noticed the daylilies were in bloom this morning.  While googling "daylilies" because it is highlighted as misspelled in this post, I realized that they are edible.  That means that all three of these yellow flowers in my gardens are edible.  Kinda cool.

The Elizabeth Gilbert quote I included in the graphic I just found, and I love it!  It seemed to fit perfectly with my thoughts, as I yielded to absorb the beauty of the blooming yellows I found.

Help Me to Spread Thy Fragrance, Dear Jesus

www.americancatholic.org

My New Favorite Definition of Prayer

Prayer is not about trying to get God to listen to us.  

Nor is it about trying to make God 

spend more time with us.  

Prayer is about sharpening our awareness of God 

who is already in us and around us, 

present in every moment and every activity of the day.  
…
Prayer is not about

finding the right words to say to God, 
it is about

becoming alive to the loving presence of God 

in each and every moment.

It is about waking up to the fact that

the love of God shines through every act,

every object and every situation.

Returning to Our Senses: Imagining How We Pray
by Christine Sine

I just downloaded the sample version of this book on my iPad.  After reading only a couple of pages, I knew it was a book that I wanted to add to my paper and ink library.  I am eagerly waiting its arrival in the mail.  I am sure you will see more posts about the book on this blog.

A Blessing for the Senses

What is Prayer?

As I have been looking for a quote or bible verse to add to the title of this blog about prayer, I am having trouble choosing just one.  Many have written and talked about what prayer is in beautiful and meaningful ways.  However, none that I have found see to be broad enough to encompass everything.

There is a quote from Billy Graham that says:

Prayer is simply a two-way conversation with you and God.

I like that quote.  The only thing that it excludes for me is when I have experienced a connection with God, that I cannot express with words.  Does a conversation need to include words?  Maybe not.  Animals converse with each other, but not in the same language we speak.

The word that comes to me instead of "conversation" is "connection."  But, I must acknowledge that a connection could be one-sided, which leaves the word "connection" lacking as well.

Aha.   Maybe a better word would be "communication."  Yet, that does not sound very personal.

Conclusion:  Billy Graham is a wise man.