It's a funny thing ...

Today my day started in a very lazy way ... I was left in bed to linger as the kids were getting ready for school ... as I laid in bed I ran through in my head the many prayer needs we have in our community ... I thought of the people who are currently recovering at home ... I thought of the people who are in hospital ... I thought of the people who are grieving the loss of loved ones ... I thought of people who are in need of support and help in their day to day lives ... I began my day in a form of prayer:

I didn't so much utter words, but I called to mind images ... faces ... moments ... conversations ... and in the quiet warmth and solitude of my bed ... I offered them into the cosmos ... It was a form of prayer ...

As my day progressed, I became busy with many mundane tasks and commitments, until just after lunch I was called to travel to the Intensive Care Ward in Brandon to be with a family ...as I readied myself to go I again brought to mind images ... faces ... moments ... conversations ... time spent with this family and all those involved in this moment of crisis ... my prayer was seeking a connectedness for me, for the family and for all involved, to something that is beyond ourselves ... Some may call it the Holy, some may call it My Higher Power, some may say God, others may use other terms ... but in that moment, I used my moment of "prayer" to seek out the strength, courage and love from the Cosmos that myself and this family, and our community needed to face the challenges that are before us ...

I would like to say that I heard a voice answering, or that as I write these words I know that my prayers were heard and answered ... but perhaps more importantly than an answer to my specific prayers, was the realization as my afternoon progressed, that the power of prayer is not so much in attaining what you ask for, but the power of prayer is found in the drawing together of hearts and minds and love across the human family ...

In prayer we offer more than words. We offer energy, love, care and the certainty that as a member of the human family - we are NEVER alone.

As I end this, I am mindful of a saying I encountered once: "Pray without ceasing. When necessary - use words ..."

To that I say a hearty 'Amen'. And in the meantime, I continue in prayer, entrusting to the Cosmos (God - whatever) those among us, and myself as well, who need the courage, the boldness, the passion, the faith, and the love to face each moment ... It's nice to know our prayers are answered ... our challenge is to trust in God and the Cosmos enough to open our eyes to see that simple truth ...