stillness – Page 4 – Laurie's Notes

Reflections

A Gentler Way

September 13, 2016September 16, 2016 Laurie's Notes

The time came

to find a gentler way,

to turn back

from the path of mind —

retracing my steps

just a little.

…

At first it felt

a bit lonely,

as there seemed to be

fewer taking this turn.

And I admit I missed

the crowds at times

and the paved roads

and maps.

…

But as I walked this

strangely familiar path

unfolding in front of me,

I began to remember

what it felt like

to walk on the earth,

to be free to notice

and allow my attention

to fall where it liked,

to experience the world

around me

and inside of me

without a constant

narrating mind.

…

And sure enough,

just as I had guessed,

I was okay

in this place —

where everything was

as it had been —

feelings and sensations

and challenges

and thoughts.

But without the narrator,

without the constant story,

they had taken on a

lighter feel,

softened somehow —

along this path

of the heart.

Prayers

Just for a Moment

September 13, 2016September 13, 2016 Laurie's Notes

Just for a moment,

let’s hold what is

most true.

Let’s dust off those

wordless prayers

we keep tucked away

and raise them up —

past all the noise

on the surface

to their true place —

not to reach some

distant goal,

but just to meet,

just for a moment,

in the heart.

Amen

Unsorted

Into the Heart

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016 Laurie's Notes

Thank you

for each part played

in this great mystery

of life —

for there are

surely no small parts here.

Thank you

for each act of love —

each burden carried,

held with honor

and transformed.

Thank you

for each moment

of true connection

kept sacred —

those who dare

to hold something pure

within,

sharing only the beauty

of its reflection.

Thank you for each

courageous step

into the heart.

Amen

Prayers

Without Doubt

September 12, 2016 Laurie's Notes

Let the noise

within

be quieted,

just enough —

that we may hear

our own quiet prayers

and know

without doubt

that we could never be

apart.

Amen

Prayers

Always Heard

September 10, 2016September 10, 2016 Laurie's Notes

I hold this silent prayer

for the times

when we feel small,

when we fail

to reach past

all that seems to stand

between us —

that we may remember

to reach again

and to trust

that our silent prayers

are always spoken

and heard —

even when we forget.

Amen

Prayers

Reprieve

September 8, 2016 Laurie's Notes

When I have let go

of so much,

when my body is tired

and my spirit is too,

when I can’t see

a break in the story,

remind me of the calm

just beneath the surface,

the slightest change

of positioning,

and that little bit

of backing up

so that I may

retrace my steps

to even greater reprieve.

Amen

Unsorted

With a Quiet Prayer

September 7, 2016October 13, 2016 Laurie's Notes

And so I began

to show up

in a new way,

with only a quiet prayer

in my heart

and a mind free

of clutter,

not because it had been

neatly sorted out —

but because it hadn’t.

Quieting

Funny Thing

September 7, 2016September 7, 2016 Laurie's Notes

What a funny thing

to realize there was

really nothing

to piece together

or figure out

or search for

so deeply.

I only had to

to find courage

to stop all that trying.

Quieting

Where I Am Whole

September 7, 2016 Laurie's Notes

It’s the stillness

I return to,

where thought arises

in the moment,

taking on a

deeper meaning

beyond thinking —

where each part flowes

into the next,

and I am whole.

— Laurie, What’s Right Here

Prayers

This Space Within

September 7, 2016September 7, 2016 Laurie's Notes

Let us hold

this space for healing

within our hearts.

Even as the outer world

goes through

its own transformations

and we are faced with

all that appears —

all in need

of honoring —

all that needs

to be released,

let us hold

this space

that needs nothing else.

Amen