Quiet Reflections and Prayers
I found peace in the deep knowing that all things could be viewed as being in a state of continuous transformation into tenderness.
Every single creative project I entered as well as every life challenge reflected the serenity to be found as I surrendered ever more deeply into this organic movement. Instead of trying so hard to struggle against this natural process, I learned to return to the quiet prayer within and allow outer movement to follow.
Softening came
as I learned to
process life
in subtler ways —
feeling for wisdom
in all of my
experiences,
not sorting out
each one,
but listening with
my heart
beneath the stories
on the surface.
It was a welcome
shift from how it
had been
into finding and being
the healer within.
The way forward
and through
was both painful
and tender.
It meant shedding
old ways
in exchange
for refinement
of spirit
and wholeness.
It meant stepping out
into places
and following a path
my mind couldn’t
yet imagine.
It happened subtly
at first.
Thoughts and ideas
and all those many
images and words
about how
we should be
and how
things had been
began to fade —
just enough
to let in
something unexpected —
an original thought,
a genuine expression,
a little breathing space —
a tender interaction
almost missed —
the serenity we felt
as we didn’t grasp.
Maybe it was us
who dared to
turn away
in search of
something real.
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.
After a while,
it became clear
that what mattered most
was the inner state
and my willingness
to allow this space
to be naturally reflected —
to hold my ground
and filter what was true
in my heart.
And so I hold
this space
above all else.
Amen
đŸ’™
There’s a difference between talking about peace and being it–Laurie
Photo by Uncle Gunn
I return
in silent reverence
to this quiet place
tucked away within
my heart,
where there is sadness,
where there is pain —
pain that can’t be labeled
or spoken —
tears left behind in
exchange for
the longing to return —
knowing the power
of standing still
and the sacredness
of the journey back.
— Laurie, What’s Right Here
I came to the place
where there were
no words.
And I knew it was
my own wordless honoring
I had been searching
to find
through all of my attempts
at understanding
and healing.
Laurie's Notes 