Quiet Reflections and Prayers
There was tenderness
in the persistent way
pieces of my own heart
longed for understanding
and in the gentle way
they became willing
to surrender
the need to grasp —
to step outside
neatly sorted
concepts and ideas
and every place
that was comfortable
and guaranteed —
to toss it all up
again and again
because it was
the most loving thing.
I found peace
in the quiet way
I learned to hold
and let go
of all that crossed
my path.
I found it
in the silence
within my heart,
often in the middle
of the most difficult
parts of the journey
where the sound
of my own steps
taken in pure faith
and a knowing smile
from a passer-by
became my greatest hope
and inspired me
to keep walking
straight through.
From within
this state of prayer,
I found my focus
softened —
as the details blurred
a little on the surface
of outer stories
and inner narrations.
Clarity, I found,
not in these things —
but a little deeper down.
I began to listen
to the silence
and to the music
of life —
of notes and pauses —
finding refuge in
the silent spaces
and comfort in
words that flowed out
if I was patient
to wait my turn —
holding and letting go
ever so lightly —
in-between.
Help us to navigate
during times of confusion —
to sift through
all that comes
to the surface.
Guide us to
safe places
when we feel
most lost.
Remind us of
the effortless,
quiet joy sensed
in the presence
of truth —
that we may
always find our way.
Amen
I wish to reflect
all that is soft,
to offer my love
to all that is not —
to remind us
of the sacredness
of the journey
and the beauty
in the transformation.
— Laurie, What’s Right Here
Having been touched
by the purity of Love
and untainted truth
at our core,
there is no going back.
Perhaps that is why
our minds fear
the touching.
Perhaps we are afraid
that something will
be lost.
But I assure you,
what is shown
in that moment
is more than enough
to account for
anything that could
ever be lost or gained.
And that moment is only
the first step.
I began to listen
to life —
to show up
and listen
to what was around me,
perhaps as our ancestors
once listened —
before all the noise.
And so I began
to listen
a little more deeply —
not analyzing each sound,
but waiting for the music
to continue,
noticing my own part
within in it
and outside of it.
And I couldn’t imagine
it being any other way.
In the stillness of my heart, there is a place I have longed for that I don’t want to fill up with anything. I had to get really quiet to find it. I had to let go of the chaos around me and inside and find the courage to stop in the midst of all of it. It is here that I place my attention in the now. Where there was once chaos and disconnect, there is quietude and repose. There is a natural flow that comes from gently reconnecting with what’s right here.
— Laurie, Heart Space
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.
Laurie's Notes 