Because Somebody Prayed

Because Somebody Prayed is a song that's been playing on KLove lately,  and it reminded me of something.   When I worked retail, on a busy, stressful day, my manager and I were working on some boxes, and chatting, the way you do.  He stopped and looked at me, and reached a hand toward my bangs.  I thought maybe he was going to brush away some lint, or a bug.  

Instead, he made the sign of a cross on my forehead.  I didn't say anything, just looked at him. He had a look of concentration on his face.  I know he was praying for me. 

How often have you prayed for someone? Or had someone pray for you?  There are times when we don't know if or when someone prays for us.  My grandmother often told me she was praying for me.  As a teen, I didn't claim much comfort from that thought.  

But now as an adult, I know there is power in prayer.  I know I've prayed for people over the years.  I don't know if those were a part of the end result, but I like to think so. 

If you're having a bad day, ask someone for prayers. If you see someone who's hurting, say a little prayer.  It helps! 

Unexpected Joys

 It's Wednesday and my usual routine is to go grocery shopping for the week.  Today, as I was finishing my circuitous route through the grocery store, I came around the apples display in produce and ran into Kim!  She used to work in my store and was a joy to run into her!  She left our store to follow her heart (and her calling!) to work with the homeless community. 

She noticed me and gave me a huge hug then prayed over me.   There's nothing like a friendly hug and a prayer to make me smile, give me joy for the rest of the day!   Thanks Kim! 

Thoughts and Prayers

There have been so many well wishers during this struggling time for me.  Ok, so it's more than struggling.  In many ways, it's devastating!  And they're much appreciated.  Mostly.   Well, let me explain.  It's easy to get busy with the task of living, which makes the struggle slide into the background if only for a few minutes or even an hour.  When there are kind words from someone, it brings it all back with a vengeance, and it's almost as if the hurt is very fresh all over again.  I'd liken it to ripping a band-aid off and the sting is fresh.  Ouch!

Out of the blue, I had a note from Josh G.  When we lived in Ohio, our household of six kids was "the place to hang" for the rest of the neighborhood.  Josh was one of those kids who ran with the rest of my brood.  He was younger than most of them, and often quiet, but I remember him fondly.  His mother and I had an arrangement, if you'd spank your own kid for misbehaving, you can do the same to mine.  And I reciprocated!  If she felt one of mine needed to be disciplined, have at it!  And all the kids knew it.  Good times. !

Another out of the blue was from my ex in Ohio.  His son passed away 10 years ago, wow it's been 10 years! Where does the time fly.  But you never really get over losing a child, and he knows that first hand and offered comfort. 

It's amazing how just when you think things are bad, that you're "all alone", someone reaches out and you know that you're not.

For anyone feeling "all alone" right now, my thoughts and prayers go out to you!

Prayer Power

"Dear God:

I say your prayer every night,

'lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us some e-mail'

but I never get an e-mail from you...

Do you have my right address??"


PS:  Had a great time with crazy photo ops with my family, and this one made me giggle!




There's a sign on the fence that reads:  Prayers for Sale!
An old woman tending her garden looks up when a young woman who appears new in town asks:

• How much do you charge?
• Is it more if you're in need than if you're wanting a favor?
• Do sinners pay more than the righteous?
• What if the Lord doesn't answer back?
• Do you get your money back?

In this world, we've learned that we need to pay for things; we've learned that certain conditions or restrictions may apply; and we expect to get a refund if it doesn't work.

But prayer doesn't work that way. Prayers are simple, free, and can be prayed by anyone. When you look up prayer in Wikipedia, or Google, you get "a reverent petition to a deity". There are many different types of religions. But prayer is something they all have in common. There may be different "rules" or ways, preferred methods; but the one thing they all share is someone's need to be heard. All of us long to connect with someone who can identify with our circumstances and share in our day-to-day life. Prayer can be just that.

Just think if you had to pay for prayers. Could you afford the ones you need? Would you be more cautious about what you prayed for? Saving up for the bigger things and stop praying for the little things? What about prayers for others? If we had to pay for prayers, would we pray for the needs of those around us in our lives? What if we had to pay more because we'd done something wrong? And the last thought about getting our money back if our prayer isn't answered .... how would we know our prayer wasn't answered? After all, as Garth Brooks sings: "just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care ... Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

Grow flowers of gratitude

in the soil of prayer.

~Terri Guillemet

 (To my folks:  You're always in my thoughts and prayers!)