National Day of Prayer
Did you know that ever since 1952, presidents of the United States have proclaimed the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer? This year, the proclamation invited “the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings….and to pray for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection.
“Throughout history,” the proclamation continues, “people of many religions and belief systems have turned to prayer for strength, hope, and guidance. Prayer has nourished countless souls and powered moral movements. Let us find in our prayers, however they are delivered….a daily practice that asks for help or strength, or to give thanks over blessings bestowed…to remember and celebrate the role that the healing balm of prayer can play in our lives and in the life of our Nation.”
Inspired to participate, my prayer was “delivered” in writing. It began with the Six-Rose design to invoke God’s presence and His all-pervading love. In a nod to Jill Biden’s inaugural corsage, the traditional Six-Rose symbol was transformed into the golden heart of a stylized white gardenia — representing clarity, understanding and enlightenment.
The lace background was written in meditative prayer for harmony within our red and blue political system.
The green leaves extend in prayer for the realization of our oneness with God; for a nation understanding God and His love for each of us; for being made whole, indivisible, by our higher Self; for the enlightenment that gives clarity and purpose to the meaning of freedom, with liberty and justice for all.
May our hearts be receptive to our oneness with Infinite Spirit and our oneness with souls everywhere.
“Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the Divine on this planet.”"
—John Lewis, United States Congressman
Ukrainian folklore characterizes pysanky as a symbolic, talismanic writing that invokes a higher Universal Power for help, while believing with faithful certainty that It will. The contemporary version of this characterization is a paper-and-pen journaling practice called prayer writing that develops a personal relationship with God.
Copyright © 2021 Nancy Kopack.
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