Features - Rest

It’s the “greener grass” conspiracy.  It seems impossible to find contentment on your side of the fence. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

If you could change your life so far, would you?

Do you like what you do?

Are you satisfied with your relationship with your family?

Are you comfortable with your financial situation?

Do you feel you have enough love in your life?

Do you live a life that reflects your values and spiritual beliefs?

How would you rate your self-esteem?

Are you able to express your creativity on a regular basis?

Does your home environment stress or calm you?

How would you rate your overall health?

Do you have supportive friends you can rely on?

Are you happy with the role children play in your life?

Do you know and like your neighbors?

Do you consistently learn new things, expand your skill set, and increase your knowledge base?

Take time to ponder these soul-searching questions.  Pray with certainty.  Contentment can be found in your own backyard!

- Susan Diamond

Susan Diamond is founder of Prayables.com and publisher of Personal Peace: Prayers for Women of All Faiths.

Divine Moments

I feel You within me like never before.
My trust in You has paid off.
This is contentment.

Splendid, astounding,
worth every prayer,
every heartache, sublime serenity.
A solid finite companion, not by my side,
but inside my being, a part of my soul.

Ahhhh, I savor You,
I savor this blessed moment of bliss.

- Karen Laven

"WHAT’S YOUR CONTENTMENT FACTOR?"

Features - Rest

I haven’t seen the inside of a church in over a year. I have good reasons though. I’ve spent the past three hundred and sixty-five days wiping toddler ass and cleaning toddler faces. It’s been a fun year.

So no, I haven’t been the best Catholic, but I still remember church. The sitting, the kneeling, the standing.  The taste of fermented grapes first thing in the morning (breakfast of champions).  The sound of me yawning.

There used to be a little girl named Ericka who knew what a novena was and would pray it because it was the truth.  And now?  The only time I crave fermented grapes is when my daughter’s asleep and my world is still. I relish the moments I can feel large in my own little world.

Early in the mornings, dawn’s light stretches its golden white fingers through my daughter’s bedroom blinds and I see a face that used to pray the novena, used to thank God for the people in her life that strengthened her soul and lengthened her spine. Maybe we’ll stop by Sunday. 

READ MORE from the extended feature!

- Ericka Clay

Ericka Clay is a writer and frequent contributor to Prayables. She blogs on her website erickaclay.com.

Off the Shelf

My faith is too delicate
to even speak some days.
It is a flower, a vase, a glass
that I fear doubt can break.

But I shall not leave it
on a shelf collecting dust.
I shall not place it out of reach—
something I see, but never use.

So fill me, over and over,
with peace.  
Help me to believe in Your
constant, unceasing strength.

- Miranda Claudius

"DOES A HOUSE OF WORSHIP ADD TO YOUR SPIRITUAL CONTENTMENT?"

Features - Rest

The other day, I overheard a woman say, “When I lived by the ocean, I never bit my nails.”

It made me smile, not just because I’ll be going on vacation to the ocean not so long from now, but because I completely understand. The ocean calms me: the sound, the sea. If there is any place where worry and problems melt away and I feel closest to God, it’s with my feet in the sand.  

As I was driving home, I realized that when I pray, I feel that same relaxation, that same calming wave cover me, whispering, “It’s all right. It’s all right.”

Yesterday was a hard day. I think I aged a decade.  First, at the crack of dawn, my mom’s cat was hit by a car. And then, we got a call that my husband’s mom was in an ambulance, on her way to the hospital.

As I went to bed, anxious to put the day behind me, I found sleep by imagining the beautiful horizon of the sea and how it disappears into eternity, taking with it my worries and fears.

- Sabra Ciancanelli

Sabra is a writer and editor at OurPrayer.org. Her blog 'Ocean Prayers' is featured with permission of OurPrayer.org. Copyright 2011 by Guideposts, Carmel, New York 10512. All rights reserved.

Danse Macabre

- Ruth Williams

"WHAT CALMS YOU?"

Features - Rest

Nineteen definitions of the word "Mother" in dictionary.com: Noun, adjective, verb and idiom. We have plenty of choices when choosing the meaning of one of the oldest words in the English language. The most common is: female parent.

On Mother's Day we're used to honoring the woman who gave birth to us, raised us, or had a nurturing role in our life. For some, the second Sunday in May is a sad day. Loss, bitter memories, and old hurts are felt more deeply on Mother's Day. For them, I offer a new way to celebrate the holiday.

Grab a dictionary, and pick a definition of mother that speaks to you. My favorite is:

Something or someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else.

Make the day one of gratitude for the Creator who protects and cares for you. Have brunch, visit with family and do all the Mother's Day activities that Hallmark promotes. But this year, add prayer to the secular holiday of Mother's Day and make it a holy holiday.

Blessings to you on Mother's Day.

- Susan Diamond

Every Single Day

A few words of Mom's wisdom,
some adhered to and some ignored: 

Never let a phone go unanswered.
Don't wear white after Labor Day.
Keep your figure.
Make enough food.
No foil pans on a buffet table.
We don't fight in this family, drop it.

My Mom is the reason I am me.
From her, I have learned to spend time
with uncles and in-laws, lending a hand.
My Mom has taught me to be a good wife,
putting my husband first and making his needs, mine.
My Mom is my partner in raising my children,
a job that doesn't end,
and caring for my grandchildren.

You, who have allowed me
to enjoy every single day with my mother:
Grant her good health, a mind free from worry
and an always loving heart.

May I continue to be the recipient
of her advice, admiration, and stories shared.
Be with my Mother, who cries my tears and lives my joy.
With Your grace, we will be together,
enjoying every single day, for many days to come.

- Rachel Lee

"Is there someone in your life 
who has been 'like a mother to you'?"