Quiet Reflections and Prayers
And so the decision was made
to continue on
through all that needed attention
and healing
until my experience in the world
more clearly reflected
the peace I held
in my deepest heart.
It was an unshakable
determination to hold my ground
no matter what.
When I looked back, after a while, the story I had carried had faded. It was the subtler, sometimes painfully subtle story beyond the surface that kept my attention.
It was the faint memory of all the times I had managed to allow a quieting, just enough to hear the quiet prayer spoken from my own heart — somewhere long ago.
It was each moment I had allowed my heart to remain open, even though I was sure I didn’t know how to continue on, that had woven a more beautiful story — somehow.
I let go,
trusting that wherever
the pieces fall will
be okay —
possibly even more
beautiful than if
I had tried to fit
them together
on my own.
— Laurie, What’s Right Here
And so I began
to listen to the one
continuous quiet prayer
in my heart.
And though it was
painfully subtle at times.
I came to know
this quiet voice
as my deepest connection
and healing.
After all of
the holding
and letting go,
more than I ever thought
possible,
what is left
is a silence,
a reverence —
a trace of lingering sadness,
a treasured tenderness
surrounded by the
purest love.
— Laurie, What’s Right Here
The peace found in the space within my heart began to spill over — until the essence of every experience became a prayer.
I fell in love with
the echo
that followed words formed
and allowed to flow
out of silence.
This echo of silence reminded
my heart of the forgotten
magic hidden within —
calming and soothing
all in its path,
I learned the value in reclaiming
the sacred space within
and reconnecting with my heart.
There were times
when a power greater than
my own small, separated self
rose up and intuitive knowing
could no longer be ignored.
Each moment became
a conscious choice of
“What now?”
Anything not moving in
the direction of creativity
and restoration
naturally fell away.
The more I listened to life, the more I noticed the part of me that could hold and let go of any experience. There was a softening each time I stood a little more firmly in my heart and dared to linger in the silent space.
Words formed out of this place soothed and echoed in places that had seemed unhealable. And there was tenderness where there had been only pain.
I found I had the power
to stand in my heart
no matter what.
And though it saddened me
to remember all the times
I walked a darker path,
I knew the sacredness
of the journey back
and the power in choosing
my thoughts a little more
carefully in each moment
from there.
Laurie's Notes 