PEACEFULLY PRAY: DAY FORTY EIGHT WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

Throughout your day, week, month, year or life how much time have you spent and put aside to pray? Where were you? What do you normally pray for? How do you pray? How do you feel when you pray? Do you pray out loud or silently? Alone or with others? I was brought up in the Catholic Community and before anyone passes judgement or switches their mind set because of that reality in my life, let me explain my experience with my faith and the art of prayer. Through my encounter with church, they started me WAAAAY too young. Being 7-8 and understanding the value/worthiness/honor of having the BODY OF CHRIST through the sacrament of the Eucharist, is quite mind boggling. Now I believe the age where children celebrate this sacrament is a little older, but it still is a relationship/ceremony that is intimate and think that children have a difficult time understanding the true nature of its meaning. I went to Catholic school until I was fed up with it, and through my life in my education I truly had the power to move on. When things weren't feasible anymore and I wasn't having the faith in my education environment, I SPOKE UP. Even at a young age I knew it was time to move on. I was a weekly church goer for years, forced/grandfathered in, but church wasn't all that bad. Always did my best to listen as much as I could, enjoy the music, even offer my services as an altar boy, but had a challenge to avoid the 'Yawning Powder" that I conspired to believe was falling from the manger up above since I couldn't avoid keeping my mouth closed. Through my church experiences I did though understand and willingly throughout my life cherished the art of prayer. I truly don't and never will pray enough, but recently through meditation, walking the RedRoad, and having the awareness of its importance, I have found the time and energy to reach out up above and from within. There are so many of us through the years that have dumped layer after layer on our souls with all that we have seen, all that we have experienced ,and all that we have overcome. Through prayer and proactive intentions we can unravel all that, and OPEN UP to accept newness and peace within our bones. Take a break once awhile, sweat, laugh, PLAY (have to do more of that for sure), read, run, BELIEVE, keep your faith alive by surrounding yourself with goodness and a beauty that can keep you grounded and ALIVE with LIFE. Create time to pray, hold time to pray, get away to pray, close your eyes to pray, say it out loud, hear your prayers, ask for prayers, pray and pray some more. Ask and you will receive. The power of the word travels far beyond you know. You are what you say, you get what you ask for (forgive me for saying it) and remember to take time for YOU. Discover a special place near by in your neighborhood, in your heart, but enjoy the journey you are on, be good to yourself, and rejoice the power and gifts that await your welcoming. Keep sharing your joy through your prayers. RVB