Today

Good morning, God, and thank you very much for this new day.  It's early in the morning, but I've been up for two and a half hours already.  I really do like getting up early and getting a lot of work done--I think people would be surprised to find out just how quiet and peaceful the morning hours are.  So many of the evening and night hours are filled with constant noise and conflict, and I have no problems at all going to bed early and trading those night hours for the relaxing early-morning hours.

So far, my summer break has been pretty productive, and you know that that's how I like it to be.  I have fun doing things, I enjoy creating things and working on things, so being productive to me isn't any extra pressure at all, especially since I'm not working with any deadlines or people telling me what I have to do.  I'm doing things on my own and in my own time, and that's quite enjoyable.  So thanks much for the opportunity to do so.

With this new today, I hope to do something interesting and/or constructive, so if you're able to help out with that at all, I'd really appreciate it!  In any case, thanks very much for the day in general, and please be with me as I go through it--the more I can keep my mind on you and love, the more I can do for others and the more I can contribute, even in what seem to be small and insignificant ways.

Center

Good morning, God, and thanks for this new day in our lives.  It's a holiday here in the states, but as you well know, I don't find holidays all that important, since I find every day that I'm alive to be important.  I don't believe in waiting for a particular day to try to have fun or enjoy myself or get the most out of a day--it's nice that holidays exist, of course, but I think that every day is a holy + day, so aside from the special things that people put on, there isn't much different in a day like today.

I'd really like to know how I could be able to put you at the center of my life all the time.  It's pretty much impossible for me to stay focused on you mentally, consciously, because there are so many things that I need to think about and consider, but I should be able to access the peace and the love that are you, and I should be able to do that whenever I need to do so.  Unfortunately, though, I usually get caught up in what's going on and my mind doesn't make that shift over to you.  My mind stays focused on the task or problem at hand, and I don't even give myself the chance to ask for a little help or a little guidance.

I guess that's where something like this comes in.  Right here and right now, I can ask you for that guidance, even when I may not be asking you directly, even when I'm not even thinking about you at all.  I would like to think that the peace and the guidance that you promise aren't conditional upon my asking for them directly all the time, because you know all about our minds and our brains and how they function.  That would be like hanging something necessary eight feet in the air and making everyone four feet tall, and not allowing them to use any help or ladders or stools to reach it.

I need other people's help, and I need your help.  I do my best in life, but I do fall short.  I recognize that and I even respect it.  But I do want to have you at the center of my life--your peace and your love and your discernment--so that my life can be a better example for other people who want to make their lives something positive.  Any help that you can give me, God, I'll appreciate.

And I thank you in advance.