I Need to Breathe Deeply

Eternal Friend,
grant me an ease
to breathe deeply of this moment, 
              this light,
                     this miracle of now.
Beneath the din and fury
      of great movements
            and harsh news
                   and urgent crises,
make me attentive still
     to good news,
           to small occasions,
                and the grace of what is possible
                     for me to be,
                           to do,
                                 to give,
                                        to receive,
that I may miss neither my neighbor's gift
           nor my enemy's need.

                                    --From Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder

This is my newest discovery, a book of prayers that bring me to my knees by their beauty and their understanding. 

I want to say things like this. I want to write things that make others understand God, themselves and the world better. 

I tried doing that last night, though I'm not sure if I succeeded. I'm working on it again today, but writing real things about real life is hard. Pain, mistakes, God, hope, darkness...good things to share but hard sometimes to unearth and put on paper. 

Sometimes saying other people's prayers helps.

Amen.