Haiku: Praying…
“The fruit of silence is prayer.The fruit of prayer is faith.The fruit of faith is love.The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.” Mother Teresa
Haiku: Praying…
A Prayer for My Daughter(s) By William Butler Yeats
Once more the storm is howling, and half hid
Under this cradle-hood and coverlid
My child sleeps on. There is no obstacle
But Gregory’s Wood and one bare hill
Whereby the haystack and roof-levelling wind,
Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed;
And for an hour I have walked and prayed
Because of the great gloom that is in my mind.I have walked and prayed for this young child an hour,
And heard the sea-wind scream upon the tower,
And under the arches of the bridge, and scream
In the elms above the flooded stream;
Imagining in excited reverie
That the future years had come
Dancing to a frenzied drum
Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.
Praying for the world
We offer love libations
When we give up hate…
When I read Yeats poem, I knew it would be a great compliment to this haiku. Even though his poem, which I have split into five parts, was written specifically for his daughter, I will encourage all who read it to insert any others they wish; sons, family, friends, the world… it all fits. Prayer is universal not owned by any faction. May we all be uplifted.
“Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.” Mahatma Gandhi
Haiku: Praying…
May she be granted beauty, and yet not
Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught,
Or hers before a looking-glass; for such,
Being made beautiful overmuch,
Consider beauty a sufficient end,
Lose natural kindness, and maybe
The heart-revealing intimacy
That chooses right, and never find a friend.Helen, being chosen, found life flat and dull,
And later had much trouble from a fool;
While that great Queen that rose out of the spray,
Being fatherless, could have her way,
Yet chose a bandy-leggèd smith for man.
It’s certain that fine women eat
A crazy salad with their meat
Whereby the Horn of Plenty is undone.
Praying for our girls
Strength, wisdom, beauty and more
We drop pain and shame…
“The prayer of the man is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that that he is praying.”
St. Anthony
Haiku: Praying…
In courtesy I’d have her chiefly learned;
Hearts are not had as a gift, but hearts are earned
By those that are not entirely beautiful.
Yet many, that have played the fool
For beauty’s very self, has charm made wise;
And many a poor man that has roved,
Loved and thought himself beloved,
From a glad kindness cannot take his eyes.May she become a flourishing hidden tree,
That all her thoughts may like the linnet be,
And have no business but dispensing round
Their magnanimities of sound;
Nor but in merriment begin a chase,
Nor but in merriment a quarrel.
Oh, may she live like some green laurel
Rooted in one dear perpetual place.
Praying for our sons
Courage, guidance, empathy
We surrender hurts…
At different points in our lives, we might get pulled in another direction and the things that mattered to us; our precious routines are compromised or lost. We step back take stock and then reconnect. Delays are not denials. May we all be blessed. More Below! 🙂
“There is a polish for everything. There is a polish that takes away rust; and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of God.” Prophet Muhammad
Haiku: Praying…
My mind, because the minds that I have loved,
The sort of beauty that I have approved,
Prosper but little, has dried up of late,
Yet knows that to be choked with hate
May well be of all evil chances chief.
If there’s no hatred in a mind
Assault and battery of the wind
Can never tear the linnet from the leaf.An intellectual hatred is the worst,
So let her think opinions are accursed.
Have I not seen the loveliest woman born
Out of the mouth of Plenty’s horn,
Because of her opinionated mind
Barter that horn and every good
By quiet natures understood
For an old bellows full of angry wind?
Praying for family
Community, trust, and love
We abandon fear…
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart
Haiku: Praying…
Considering that, all hatred driven hence,
The soul recovers radical innocence
And learns at last that it is self-delighting,
Self-appeasing, self-affrighting,
And that its own sweet will is heaven’s will,
She can, though every face should scowl
And every windy quarter howl
Or every bellows burst, be happy still.And may her bridegroom bring her to a house
Where all’s accustomed, ceremonious;
For arrogance and hatred are the wares
Peddled in the thoroughfares.
How but in custom and in ceremony
Are innocence and beauty born?
Ceremony’s a name for the rich horn,
And custom for the spreading laurel tree.
Originally published in Poetry, November 1919. via PoetryFoundation.org
Praying for ourselves
Grateful for the grace to pray
Embrace all above…
There are times we might step away from prayer because we are in too much pain. The preciousness of prayer is that the work is never in vain… May we all be embraced.
What are your thoughts? Do you pray often? Have you been personally touched by prayer? What prayer moments have helped you? Do share! Thank you. 🙂
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: Write about the most precious thing you’ve ever lost. The Daily Post will feature a new prompt every weekday. The prompts are meant to jump-start posts on your own blogs on days when you need a little boost, so we’re going to close comments on them—if you’ve got something to say, post something!
*Please bear with me as I catch up on your blogs and commenting… I’m back on track with reading and responding to your blogs; albeit at a slow pace. Thank you all for your patience! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Pray with an open heart and trust that only good can come of it… Explore and Act!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos Shinto man, Hands, Woman and group, via Wikipedia, Prayer flags, by Oliphant, Prayer hands by Aronki via Flickr, or via my personal collection
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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Lovely post!
TY Mz Catherine. Hope all is well. 😉
I love to intercede and pray for others, and it’s so exciting when they come to me and say, thanks for praying for me, I am much better now.
That is a wonderful thing Jackie… We all need intercession in life. 😉
Thanks for coming by Eliz
What an amazing post _the choice of prayers is beautiful. Thank you for including my haiku in your list x I appreciate your reading my blog. You might like to read my blog about a trip to Lourdes one Holy Week. Thanks again
TY for stopping by. I will check out your Lourdes post. if you have a moment, leave a link here for it. TY! 😉
http://wp.me/p2gGsd-i
Great this is the link for my post about a trip to Lourdes. Thanks for reading x
Thank you!
This is absolutely stunning – thankyou so much!
TY Julie! Glad you enjoyed it. 😉
Prayer starts the day, ends the day, and pops up consistently all day long. How else would I put one foot in front of the other?
Exactly… It is definitely an important foundation to our lives. TY! 😉
Beautiful post, Elizabeth. The prayer of thanks, is to my mind the most important of all. 🙂
True… Everything begins with thanks and then the rest follow… I’ve always loved that quote. 😉
This is an amazing post, Elizabeth. I love the photos you paired with your words.
Thanks Naomi! Must stop by to catch up on your posts soon. 😉
A beautiful post from a beautiful soul. Well done, my friend. 🙂
Ditto at ya Cee TY! 🙂
A wonderful, uplifting post. Prayer is so powerful! 🙂
It has been a guiding force in my life…. and yes, it is powerful. TY! 🙂
Very inspirational and beautiful. Prayer is a reflection of our soul.
Yes and may we all be aptly blessed! 😉
Thank you for a beautiful post Eliz! Enjoyed reading the exceptional selection of quotes and prayers!
TY for your feedback Madhu…. Have a great weekend. 😉
Beautiful ♥
TY djm! I’ve been out of the loop for a while. 🙂
🙂 welcome back then !!! ♥
This is a beautiful post, Elizabeth. Especially like the quote about gratitude.
Thanks for sharing the Yeats poem as well.
TY! I fell in love with Yeats in high school and finding this poem was a real gift. 😉
Prayers can make miracles. It’s power is beyond our comprehension but all we need is faith and a heart that believes. Beautiful and inspiring post. Thanks.
I agree with you IT! Prayer has offered me great comfort over the years and I turn to it again and again… TY! 🙂
Prayer… I loved the quote… “If the only prayer you ever
say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
Meister Eckhart…simple is sometimes the best way!
Indeed. And sometimes we get so caught up in our stuff that we don’t stop to say TY for the good in our lives. I love it as it’s a great reminder on gratitude. TY! 😉