Quiet Reflections and Prayers
I began to get
a sense of
what it meant
to be in the heart,
to notice the peace
I had longed for.
It was quieter
here.
And still I knew
to continue on.
After all,
there really was
no going back
and no clear destination —
only a mysterious
unfolding road
ahead of me
and the most beautiful
prayer I had ever heard —
without any words.
Through a series
of small surrenders,
I began to linger
a little longer
just below the surface
where there was calm —
where sorting out
seemed to happen
a little more naturally —
somehow settling down
all that dared
to meet me
here, in my heart.
This pain
you feel
is not separate
from the pain of
the world.
But it does not
define who or what
or where you are.
You must keep
searching.
Don’t look only
for relief
or some explanation
or label
to describe
what is on the surface.
Don’t look
to the world
for this.
You may find
these kinds
of answers.
But they will be
surface answers.
Look deeper.
Keep searching
until your heart
begins to speak
louder.
Always listen
to your heart,
even if it seems
so subtle that you
have to strain
just to feel some kind
of faint whisper.
It will
become louder.
May it lead you
always.
Amen.
Out of necessity,
I became willing
to remember how
to see with
my heart —
to dare myself
to hold my focus
just below the surface —
to toss everything
and trust
what was needed
to come back down —
to meet my Self
in each moment —
to notice again and again
that I was indeed
still okay here —
until this was
the most
natural place
to be.
After a while,
it was most natural
to be the space
beyond words,
that strangely familiar place
where thought formed
out of nothingness
as quiet prayers
once known only
as far-away whispers
triggering some long-forgotten
memory of a time
when I was not
separate from the space
within my heart.
AlI I had struggled with
for so long
on the surface
appeared much different
from the center
of my heart.
All of my
wounded places
were seen through
as parts of a whole
to be honored.
And that 3D reality
I had struggled with
began to,
ever so subtly —
shift…
from the deep
compassion there
in the holding
of each fractured piece
of my own heart
from within.
And I vowed to
never again let go
of this place,
no matter what
appeared on the surface.
Manipulating the surface
seemed a little silly
after that.
And so I began
to listen
to a softer voice,
one that seemed
to begin
as a whisper.
And though there was
great shaking
as old ways
faded,
I held on to
the quiet place
in my own heart —
letting go
of all that left.
And though
there was pain
in going this way,
all I remember
is the tenderness
of the gentle whisper
from my own heart
reminding always,
no matter what,
I’m still here.
I know it is
possible to stay
firmly planted
in my heart,
even as past pain
and intense emotions
are being transformed.
May we always find
strength
and the effortless place
of calm
within our deepest hearts —
no matter what
is playing out
on the surface.
May all that is present
be honored.
Amen
By grace,
I remembered
the power
of staying centered
within my heart
while offering
my part in the unfolding
of the story
we all share.
I healed
my own heart,
transformed darkness
within myself,
held and let go
of all parts
of me —
traded in every last
resentment in the search
for a deeper truth
and the slightest bit
of hope
for the remembrance
of this sacred journey
called life.
I healed
and transformed trauma
and found
a quiet prayer
connected with truth
and compassion
for all
could travel far —
reaching places
where few words
could go —
joining together
with others —
healing what had seemed
unhealable.
I honored
and traded
my own story
for a prayer.
And so I offer
this living prayer
always.
Amen
I found
moments in time
to be part of
a continuous flow
of life.
Holding these moments
lightly,
no longer needing
to cling
or sort each one
completely,
I began to find
my way back
to my deepest heart —
where there is calm —
where all that is sacred
is held safely
and honored.
There was still pain
in many forms,
but places inside
that had once pulled me
out of this place
and sent me searching
for reprieve
began to disappear
before me —
leaving more and more
space for the deepest
kind of healing
in my heart
and in the world
around me.
Laurie's Notes 