past the tsunami of pain
new moments I gain
to feel so much more alive
and be grateful to give
[124.11] Peace
"Let There Be Peace on Earth" 1955Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our father, brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
[123.18] Prayer
"The Prayer" 1999
I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go, and help us to be wise in times when we don't know. I pray we’ll find Your light and hold it in our hearts when stars go out each night. The light that You give us will stay in our hearts reminding us that You are the everlasting star. In my prayer, there's so much faith. The strength You give us is the wish that everyone may find love around and within himself. We ask that life be kind and watch us from above. We hope each soul will find another soul to love. The faith that You have lit inside us, I believe will save us. Let this be our prayer when we lose our way: Let this be our prayer when shadows fill our day: Just like every child needs to find a place: Lead us to a place, guide us with Your grace, give us faith so we’ll be safe.
2010, I listened to old songs with a different inner perspective. The meanings of words expanded, and my consciousness grew. It held little meaning or mystery. Songs forgotten after we passed a period, and re-discovered in perfect time to teach us again that there is a unifying power guiding our souls to be better than we were. (See Letters to C : Commandments)
Pray tell, do you pray?
With gratitude, or hope?
To what purpose, for which end?
Do you wish on star?
From where do you begin?
Of who does it commend?
I do understand your inner and outer chaos when other people teach you prayers. They refuse to answer your conflict of "Why should I?" and then force you to follow them whether by emotional threats or physical punishments. Maybe you get angry, maybe you get fearful. It's ok, their intention was good even if they didn't know how to define it for you. Your kindergarten class had taught you the habit saying grace before every meal. They tried fervertly.
You had your own little ways of resisting it - mumbling the words, speeding up the song. You were just mouthing it back because someone else asked you to, made you do. Even I did not find it meaningful until one day, we were out for pizza and we pondered about why you had to say grace. In that one inspired moment, all my random experiences seemed to culminate into an answer that related to gratitude - the prayer was to thank those animals who died to feed you, to thank those who gave us the means to eat, to thank this body for its ability to ingest and digest. You seemed thoughtful but soon forgot about this little seed of thought. That was in 2010. You have been saying grace ever since. (:
Over the years, I experienced a multitude of prayers by hundreds of people across at least seven major religions. This is the blessing of a free-thinker - the space to explore, to understand, to discover. Prayers unify no matter the language, truly powerful prayers are said for the benefit of others; Prayers for peace, prayers give peace. Years of watching grandmothers holding beads in their wrinkled hands, offering sounds of mantra-prayers, repeated over and over. It is a soothing sight and a graceful state shared eve if I do not understand the words. The best prayers are selfless.
When I first heard of the phrase, "Open your mind to God," it did not connect any dots of understanding. Then one magical, starry night out, under the light of a million stars, my heart and mind was freed by the immensity of the sight of the Universe. I didn't have to understand anything anyone else says - I am home. All I needed was to understand me in the context of this world.
We don't really know the concept of "God" or what is "Universe"; these are but words. Will a blind or mute being be any less inspired? How do you open a mind anyway? It's closed when you choose to limit your perceptions. There are many things in this universe that are beyond senses, and yet so much nearer the quarks within you and stars without. I have much imagination and every personal experience of someone else's prayers and faith shared, strengthens my views of humanity's co-existential spirit.
I didn't see it at that time, but now that I have attempted to trace the threads of my life stories, all of life works beautifully together and teaches me that the journey of humanity is to search so that it can evolve. It could be phrased differently, but all observations point to peace, to satisfy some innate need to grow.
"Thank you, for giving us ...(anything that you are enjoying or smiling at now)..." Moments of gratitude can change you, build on these moments and soon you are watching your life for all these little miracles.
So forgive us all our ignorance, we're still learning together. Thy, Thou, Thine, Thee still isn't the original language of the Lord's Prayer. By re-creating this prayer, it becomes meaningful and sincere to me, and inspires me to be better. All prayers have expansive and positive intentions:"The Lord's Prayer" Matthew 6:9–13Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
(See Letters to Y : YhWh)In the space of imperfection, holy is Your being. You are here. Your will is done in this body of earth, as it is in its soul imprint for being. Grant us wisdom to nourish these souls, forgive us our chaos caused through anger, ignorance and fear. Our debts and attachments in earth are great, yet greater still is our learning to forgive ourselves and each other. Guide us to through the gift of compassion and love. Guard us in our ways, guide us in suffering.
Gramma prays. She prays for clement weather, for her descendants, for her life, for resolution, for peace and a peaceful end.
