Written on the Heart

Dear Members of the Parish,

We had a wonderful session on poetry this past Sunday in Grace Discussion Group. Some people recited poetry by heart -- things they had learned in grammar school or high school, or the words of pieces of music they had learned. Some were moving and and some were funny and it reminded me of how much poetry feeds my soul. It is written on the heart and it is there to call upon whenever we need to or want to recall something of beauty, something that touches us or gives us inspiration.

We don't ask our Children and Youth to memorize much these days. I thought about all the wonderful collects and psalms in our Book of Common Prayer and how wonderful it is to be able to pray them as I'm drifting off to sleep or riding in the car or walking our little dog, Rusty. There are simple prayers you can start with children, like the Lord's Prayer. There is the Guardian Angel Prayer that I learned as a young child and still pray to this day:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Some of the words are hard for little ones to understand, but the rhyming helps them to remember the words and as they grow older, the meaning will become deeper.

So whether you're young or old, have children or not, take the time to memorize a poem or prayer this week, so that it is written on your heart. Then you become the poem -- you become the prayer.

Blessings and Peace,
Miriam