“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
What is prayer for you?
Prayer
Afternoon on a hill
I will be the gladdest thing
under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
and not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
with quiet eyes,
watch the wind bow down the grass,
and the grass rise. ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay
How do you settle into contentment?
Edge dwellers
Both the monk and artist are edge dwellers, ones who commit to living in fertile border spaces and who call the wider community to alternative ways of being beyond the status quo… Living on the edges means recognizing those places and experiences that do not offer easy answers, those fierce edges of life where things are not as clear as we hope them to be. ~ Christine Valters Paintner, Abbey of the Arts
How do you hold mystery and questions?
Seashells
We recognize and know these treasures washed onto the beach. We enjoy their beauty and variety tumbling in the waves, settling on the sand.
How do they draw you into the adventures of the imagination?
Balancing act
Sometimes all we can do in the ups and downs of life is keep our balance and stay in the saddle. Balance requires a strong core.
What keeps you centered, anchored, grounded?
River voices
I don’t know who God is exactly.
But I’ll tell you this.
I was sitting in the river named Clarion, on a water splashed stone
and all afternoon I listened to the voices of the river talking.~ Mary Oliver
What do the river voices say to you?
With the Eyes of the Heart 