A Prayer of Wonder

I was in such a bad mood yesterday. I don't know why but there it was. When my dog wanted to just be outside and sniff around our yard which isn't fenced in, I was with her on leash. (I actually consider the leash constraining me as much as her so I love when she can be off leash and we both travel safely at our own paces.) I wandered with her, grousing that she was so boring, that I was bored. Actually I knew in that moment that she was nowhere near bored. She was loving being outside, fascinated by every smell and every little twig she could chew on and watching that bird fly by and that bee buzz by and jumping to try to catch a butterfly flitting by. She was happy, I was not.

This morning I read a chapter called Knowing the Heart from My Grandfather's Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD. That chapter ends with this Jewish Prayer How Filled With Awe from Gates of Prayer, A Jewish Prayerbook:

Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles.
Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing.
Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.
Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed.
And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder,
“How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.”

The last line of this prayer reminds me of the lyrics "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place" from the hymn Surely the Presence, composed by Lanny Wolfe in 1977, portions of which we have sung at Unity for years. All I needed to do was substitute "the Lord" with "awe." Here are all the lyrics:

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

In the midst of His children the Lord said He would be
It doesn’t take very many
It can be just two or three
And I feel that same sweet spirit that I’ve felt so many times before
Surely I can say I’ve been with the Lord

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

There’s a holy hush around us as His glory fills this place
I’ve touch the hem of His garment
I can almost see His face
And my heart is overflowing with the fullness of His joy
I know without a doubt I’ve been with the Lord

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

Oh surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

For the last week or so we have been having a wonderful respite from the heat and humidity we often experience in New Jersey in the summer. Yesterday was one of those days. I missed an opportunity to be mindful, to be grateful and to be present.

This morning was another one of those days. I woke up renewed, the fans spinning in my open window bringing into my bedroom cool, refreshing air. I woke early and opened Remen's book to read a couple chapters. I'm so glad I did. I call this a "wake up call." I pray: “How filled with awe is this place and I did not know it.” I will know it and I will not waste this day!

Note: I wrote this several weeks ago but didn't post it until today. It still speaks to me and maybe to you too.

~ Jean