Thoughts About Prayer in My Woods

We are fast approaching Holy Week in my Church. Lent is almost over. It has been a time of reflection, meditation and soon confession for me. We try to be more prayerful during Lent. This Lent has been like no other...because I have had so many people on my mind. I told my husband yesterday..."So many people, who are important to me, are struggling or hurting right now." A Grand daughter leaving the nest, her Mom losing her long time job, a friend and her husband facing medical challenges, a lifelong pal...my cousin....dealing with cancer, my teenage neighbor dealing with a spinal cord injury, and now yesterday a friend who's dog has pneumonia (a bloodhound who does search and rescue)All these matters have come up during Lent. I got to thinking of all the people who say, "Pray for me." Or we might say, "I'll keep you in my prayers." Do we really do this? Sometimes in everyday life we can have a sprinkling of a few quick prayers in the key parts of our days. These simple little prayers are heard and we notice the joy of suddenly having prayer in our day..... And we won't have to struggle to find the time it only takes a minute or two.

Yesterday was the first day really working out in my yard. It felt good to have the sun on my back. I was stooped over cutting down dried debris in my backyard garden. When this task was finished, I went back to the woods. My woods is just a very small area across the back of our property. I have planted so many wildflower seeds there and they are finally starting to fill in a bit. I have several religious statues there also....because of them my woods is a prayerful place for me. I quiet down, when I

work there. I feel the daily "grind" rolling off my back. I was on my knees picking up debris around St. Francis. I don't pray to him, but sometimes I find myself talking to him. In Catholicism we believe in a connection between all members of the Church, the living members of God’s family, those living here and those living in heaven — called “the communion of saints”. Catholics believe that the heavenly
members of the Church, the saints care about what happens to us little folk here on earth. Why shouldn't’t they? They were all people of great love. And they, as holy people, share in God’s love for his Church.
Yesterday the woods was full of bird song, new plants coming up, trees budding out, tiny creatures who live there, and peace. It is my spot to meditate. Do you have a place of peace for yourself?

Balisha