love – Page 5 – Teeny Tiny Pieces

Our neighborhood has a tradition of lighting luminaries on Christmas Eve. They’re simple white paper bags, with sand and candles inside.

This year it was raining on Christmas Eve, so no luminaries. Since then I’ve been silently wishing we could maybe light them on New Years Eve instead.

This afternoon, around 4:30, I noticed from my kitchen window that my neighbor was putting her luminaries out. My heart did a little happy dance.

So, my husband and I moved toward the occasion ~ and on my way, I had a sweet little nudge that said “say a prayer with each one, with each little light in the world ~ this opportunity is too beautiful to miss ~” … and so I did.

Gold sharpie in hand, I stood in my garage, writing one prayer word on each bag, praying on it, and then gently folding down the top of the bag so that it would stand on its own.

One word after another ~ peace, and I took a moment to pray that I would find peace, and that others would extend, and embrace peace … generosity, followed by a moment of prayer that the world would find a generous heart …

As I continued, word by word, I experienced a deeply peaceful delight with each. I noticed that taking a moment to pray on gratitude felt very different from praying on joy … and that praying on caring stirred feelings different from those of kindness.

Some of these words I use often, even multiple times a day. I do try to say what I mean and mean what I say … but holding the white paper bag to my chest, closing my eyes, and knowing how forgiveness looks, in my heart and mind, was an incredible gift.

We carried the bags down to the street and helped another neighbor light hers … wishing her a Happy New Year. I thought of the difficulties so many of our neighbors face ~ battles with cancer, losing a young son to overdose, a widower spending his first holiday alone … yes, prayers.

As the sun set, and the candles glimmered in the early evening, we rode out to a favorite ice cream shop to share a banana split, and drove slowly through the neighborhood, lined with glowing white bags. What a gorgeous delight ~

Just a few minutes ago (in the midst of writing this post) I peeked out, and the candles were still lit, so I wandered out into the cold moonlit street ~ candles silently flickering all around me, and captured these images for you ~ for us … for whomever these prayers should reach. Scroll, pause, pray ~ get quiet and know what each word means to you.

May your prayers feel as powerful … be as powerful, as mine were tonight.

Love, and prayers for this moment ~ and for this new year.