Morning glories,
We are home from our quick jaunt to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. PC is playing a tank battle game that I have nicknamed “Tankville” on his laptop in the bed beside me. The kitties are curled up at our feet and a blessed late November sunshine is streaming in through our open balcony door. It is a beautiful morning to be alive.
The Miracle Morning
If you’ve been hanging out in these parts with me for a bit, you know that I’ve been following The Miracle Morning (TMM) program to begin my days for about six months.
When I am working, I have to do a kind of abbreviated version of TMM. No matter how early I rise, there isn’t enough time on a work day to devote to a full-on dose of TMM. But on days when I am off, I am more faithful to fulfilling each of the 6 steps (easily remembered using the acronym SAVERS) in the morning regimen. Please read this post from June to learn more about The Miracle Morning.
The R and the Last S in Savers
The R in SAVERS stands for reading. Each morning of the TMM, participants are asked to read for ten minutes. I use this time to do my devotional reading. Lately that has been re-reading Jesus Calling. As we approach the beginning of a new year, I am looking forward to reading Finding Your Balance by Sandy Cooper.
The final letter in SAVERS is a second S which stands for scribing. Participants are invited to scribe for ten minutes in completion to TMM each morning. This is where I have been using Mary Clewley’s (at HopeFilledLiving) workbooks, most recently Gratitude: 101 Prayers and Praises. Each workbook entry features a different theme on which we reflect, praise God, and create a prayer of gratitude. The element for Day 1 was simplicity, Day 39 honesty. Over the last few days we have examined perseverance, mercy, quiet time and God’s favor in our lives.
Writing My Bullet Gratitude Prayer
Have you ever written a prayer? Until I began completing my first of Mary’s workbooks, I never had. But I am happy to report that I’ve become quite proficient at prayer writing now that I am mid-way through my third workbook. My first written prayers sounded stiffly formal and more like a letter to God than a prayer. In this current workbook, my written prayers have developed their own style. A kind of shorthand. And I have just realized they are more like gratitude bullet prayers. They have become lists of gratitude, bullet comments of thankfulness. Following a stream of consciousness writing style. Where one bulleted thought leads to another and another. Here’s an example.
Day 24 The Tongue
Write a prayer of gratitude.
Heavenly Father,
- Thank Your for giving us the ability to empathize and sympathize with others.
- To put the shoe on the other foot.
- To imagine walking in another’s shoes.
- Please help me to avoid gossip and hurtful words, angry outbursts and to guard my tongue.
- Thank You for these quiet mornings in preparation for my day.
- Thank You for the sunrise streaming in my windows.
- For candles, and coffee and calm.
Amen.
And another written several weeks later:
Day 45 Wonder
Write a prayer of gratitude.
Heavenly Father,
- Thank you for Your word and quiet time spent preparing for my day.
- Thank You for dancing mesquite fronds. (Just realized it’s fronds with a D…thank you, spellcheck)
- For the beauty of the smallest things in our world.
- The silver of light on the water.
- Ripples from the breeze.
- Clean, fresh air.
- Insects and birds pollinating our bushes.
- Rose blooms.
- Flickering citronella flames.
- Hands that help me create what my mind envisions.
Please, Lord, help Paul and Lucia feel better today. Give Cady rest and a sense of happiness for her birthday tomorrow. Help Lorena find a good-fitting job.
Amen.
Somehow writing these pocket-sized prayers has made me more aware of the blessings in my life. The big ones, but more importantly the small ones. Writing these little thoughts of thankfulness in the morning helps to set the tone for my day. When the world is dark and stormy, and my life is heavy with clouds, I can sometimes reflect back on a moment of gratitude. In doing so, I can begin to see the sun again.
Your Turn
I probably should have started this post with some kind of disclosure. This girl is certainly no expert on subjects of the spirit and the soul. You can read more about my spiritual journey here, here and here. But maybe that’s the very thing I should be most grateful for. That somehow I have become more spiritual and thankful and aware. Were you brought up in a church with formal, religious training? Have you ever written a prayer? How do you express your gratitude? Journal, prayer? Please share with me in a comment below.
Looking forward to a few days at home before we embark on yet another trip!! At this point, I am just leaving my suitcase out on the bedroom floor. This will be our fifth trip since early October. Going to wash up the clothes I took to Albuquerque and repack those puppies for our trip to Kentucky and Ohio.
Grateful for YOU
I probably don’t tell you enough how thankful I am to have someone to talk to through this blog. I am grateful for you. Have a beautiful week ahead as we pack away November and welcome our final month of the year. Oh, and if you are interested in joining, we will be doing a mini Christmas bucket list post on December 1. Sharing 5 activities or traditions. Perfect post for sharing some of your favorite holiday festivities.
Hugs and kisses,
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
What beautiful words Leslie and I hadn’t thought of prayer in that way before. I’m praying and didn’t realise it. Have a beautiful week and looking forward to the link up with my 5 Festive Traditions.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Sue. I was so nervous writing my first prayers but when I turned them into bullet comments of gratitude, they became easier to write. I have so very much to be thankful for.
Cathy Lawdanski
Beautiful post. I find my prayers are like yours – more of a bullet list. I find that I am much more attentive and thoughtful in my prayers when I write them down. Thanks for sharing.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You are so sweet to stop by and to leave a message. I am not sure why it is but writing bullet comments/prayers/to-do lists are so much less intimidating. Thank you so much for coming by.
curlycraftymom
Your prayers are so beautiful! I have a prayer journal that I write in while I’m in the pickup lane at school everyday… I have done this for 3 years! I also devote a couple days a week to read 1 chapter a day in a book I select in the Bible. Right now I’m reading through 1 Corinthians. After I finish that book, I’ll pick another. I also find a religious book to read a chapter in a couple times a week, I just finished one of Jen Hatmaker’s books and waiting for my next book to come in the mail.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I really think you use every single moment of your day so wisely! Love that you write in your prayer journal from the pickup lane at school. You are so good! I hope you know I think the world of YOU!
Not familiar with Jen Hatmaker but will look her up. I am using Mary Clewley’s workbooks…she was a gal who did some of Alison Lumbatis’s Get Your Pretty On challenges with me. Mary’s workbooks have been perfect for me – a newbie Christian! Do you order Jen’s books online?