I happened to be awake shortly before sunrise this morning.  It was so quiet in the house and there was a hint of daylight coming through the windows.  Something motivated me to go outside.  I soon found myself standing in my back yard in my pajamas.  I just stood there, looking to the east, in the calm before the sun rose.  The air was cool, the grass was wet with dew, and there was a silence full of sound.  I felt the quiet from the plants that were just waking up and preparing to receive the warm sunlight,  from the animals who were not yet out, or at least not yet visible, and from the air that was still, yet moist and full of a cool clear energy.  Somewhere in that silence the birds began singing.  At times I could hear them clearly, and other times I was simply lost in that silence before dawn.
     This was a magical time. This was the promise of a new day being fulfilled.  It was a time of anticipation and knowing that, just in that moment, everything was OK.  The grass was green, the sky was blue, my husband and kitties were safe, all my neighbors were probably safely asleep in their homes.  I didn't feel the need to do anything at that moment.  I simply stood there absorbing all the beauty of nature around me. 
     I'm not usually awake before the sun rises, but I am thankful for that experience.  It was a type of short meditation that involved all my physical senses, as well as my heart.  It didn't take much time, but it had an positive influence on my whole day. 
     Cherish those special moments when the world goes silent and you become one with the All.  They create a memory that you can call on when there is too much chaos and noise in your life.  I will always remember that moment before the sunrise.   

      Prayer is something we all use at one time or another, and for a variety of reasons. We say prayers before we go to bed, when we get up in the morning, when we are afraid, and when we are in awe.  There are memorized prayers, desperate prayers, and prayers of praise.  But there is a special kind of prayer, the prayer that originates and emanates from deep in the heart.  It's a prayer full of love and compassion.  It's a prayer that embraces our unity  with all people and things.  It's a prayer we send up to Spirit/God for someone else who is suffering or looking for answers to a problem.  
​     In my last job I had the opportunity to meet people who were applying for credit to purchase a vehicle.  Credit applications involve questions about things that are personal and sometimes emotional.  During the last year of my employment I met some very special people applying for credit.  These were people were dealing with major life-changing, health issues.  I met a man who suffered a spinal injury in a motorcycle accident.  He dealt with intense pain on a daily basis.  At times his pain was to severe that he would pass out.  We would sit and talk about alternative ways he could find relief.  His doctors just wanted to medicate him.  He didn't want to be all drugged up, so he tried to endure the pain. I also met a man who had serious intestinal problems.  This is a man who owned a huge Big Dog motorcycle and had been very active.  He loved his bike, but ended up selling it because of his illness.  Doctors were having trouble diagnosing his specific condition, so he was forced to live with chronic pain.  It took a year for him to get a diagnosis, surgery and treatment he needed.  I also met several people with various forms of cancer, two of them in stage 4. During this same time period some of my close friends were going through serious problems.  I was told to pray for them, also. 
     That inner voice kept getting louder telling me to pray for all these people. I started a prayer notebook and entered the names and a few details about each person I held in my heart.  I decided to make it a prayer ceremony. I created sacred space and sat down in the middle with my notebook.  I felt my connection with all living things and my connection with Spirit.  I went through every name on my list - not with sadness - but with love.  When I got to the end of the list more names came to mind, and not just people.  There were animals, and even a tree.  The tree was a very old and large black walnut tree in the yard next to mine.  An old couple lived there, and they loved that tree.  Every year they would pick up all the walnuts and shell them.  Then they would give them as gifts to their special people.  I was blessed to receive a large bag of nuts.  Eventually this couple ended up in an assisted living center.  About a year ago the man passed away.  When spring came I noticed that the tree had no buds, no life at all.  I appears that when the old man died, the tree died, too.  The woman who lives there now told me it would cost her over $1,500 to have the tree removed, and she just can't afford that.  So the tree stands...as a memorial to a great old man.
     My prayers were, and still are, simple.  I believe it isn't the words that are so important, it's what I feel in my heart.  I don't feel called to get personally involved with any of the people on my list (except some close friends).  I simply put their situations out to the universe and send them energy (love) to help them in ways only they know. 
     I believe we all experience that feeling of someone touching our heart.  We also experience that feeling of being helpless to do anything for them.  That's the time to send up a prayer.  It doesn't have to be a ceremony.  You don't even have say it out loud.  Just send up a little love prayer from your heart.  This love energy will help to empower them to deal with their situation.  Your thoughts and prayers are very important.  Every thought and every prayer has an impact on the whole universe.  
                   

I've spent the last few years away from people and most social activities. I continued spiritual studies and practices, worked what I call a "mainstream" job, and did "home things" like baking, gardening, and dealing with fibromyalgia.  I retired from my job at the end of last year, and went through the adjustment of not having to get up, get dressed, and go somewhere.  It was mentally and financially trying at first.  Gradually I adjusted to the changes.  
Recently I decided it was time to get back out there, time to leave the cocoon I had created.  I checked out a Tai Chi class, joined a local spiritual group, and started the process of teaching a Community Education class on the chakras.  That's when the feelings of anxiety set in.  I was doubting my ability to follow through on these activities.  
The anxiety stayed with me until yesterday.  I'm not sure what triggered it, but I woke up knowing there was more to me than what I was feeling.  I did a meditation journey that brought me some great insights.  I created sacred space and was trying to express my love for Spirit, Mother Earth, the beautiful plants in my gardens...but I was having trouble expressing the deep feelings I was having.  That's when Spirit told me all I needed to say is "I LOVE!"  How simple, yet how powerful. 
Spirit went on to tell me that in order to connect with my power I needed to affirm that I AM LOVE.  That was another great revelation.  If I am love, there is no room for fear or anxiety.  I AM LOVE is my power.  It is my confidence, compassion, motivation, and fulfillment.  It has left me full of joy, and that joy has energized me to move forward.  It can work for you, too.