Quiet Reflections and Prayers
I vowed
to take all that was
not beautiful in my
own heart
and transform it —
gently.
I vowed to hold
each wounded part
in me,
including those that were
most difficult
to hold.
And when it was
not possible,
I held the empty space
of their absence.
I showed up
for each life experience.
I held it all
until it was possible
to set it all down.
And I found
that wherever
I placed myself
within this sacred journey,
I was held
safely within
my true,
whole self.
After a while,
life was less
about trying so hard
or forcing
pieces to come together.
It was more about
gently reconnecting
with my own heart,
including those pieces
that were uncomfortable
to hold
at first.
It was about reaching
for a higher self
and back.
It was about holding
and letting go
at the same time —
again and again.
Help us to honor
and set down
the layers of stories
carried for so long
in our minds.
Help us to listen
and speak with
our hearts
again —
to know
the tenderness
in the silent spaces
we tried so hard
to fill
and in the pain
we tried to
so hard
to sort out.
May our own
unfolding steps
be reminders
of a gentler path.
Amen
Help us to allow
all that is pure
and true
to flow out
in art and actions
and quiet prayers.
Let us search
our own wounded places
for compassion
beyond understanding.
Create sacred space
where there is none.
Help us to find
a gentler way.
Amen
I found
life wasn’t quite as
black and white
as I had thought.
I found love wasn’t
about covering up
or fixing.
Somehow,
peace wasn’t
some distant goal
to be achieved,
and the most
loving thing
often meant allowing
myself and others
to be gently guided
through the tender places
that remained
unhealed.
I honor each challenge
overcome today,
each choice to listen
to our hearts
and to each other.
May these gestures
be our stepping stones
to a gentler path.
Amen
And so the words
written carefully
on my heart
began to reflect
the gentle way
I had taken in
subtle messages
from inner and outer
experiences —
reflecting the soft,
repetitive motion
of holding and letting go,
listening and settling —
the one thing
strong enough
to heal my own heart —
this gentle way —
this most natural movement
of life.
I vowed to continue on —
to take each step
in faith,
rooted firmly
in my heart,
unattached to the need
for outer relief —
holding my ground
in all situtions —
not always quiet,
not needing
to be right
or good enough
or even noticed —
simply playing my part
as it unfolded.
And there was
a beautiful silence
within my heart
I wouldn’t ever try
to fill again.
Let me be
the quiet prayer
that led me
gently through
all things
and safely back
to the silence
of my own
deepest heart.
Amen
When you reach
a quiet place
and there is sadness,
when the world seems
a little too intense again,
close your eyes
and remember
the softness of your soul.
— Laurie, What’s Right Here
Laurie's Notes 