Chant

So for the last 6 or so months I have been taking a shot at meditating each morning for around 20 minutes. After some exploration and reading, I have settled on repeating 3 passages, generally repeating the shortest one more than the longest one. To be clear, these are prayers, and for those who are truly atheistic in their outlook, this blog entry will probably be a waste of time. Two chants are homegrown and the last is a classic Catholic Prayer. The homegrown entries:

• I pray I am with you thru the baptism of today. The focus is upon me NOT forgetting in times of stress, that I for one, can begin to believe I have been abandoned by God, when in fact it is the opposite: I have abandoned my engagement with God. This insight was first brought to my attention thru the passage "Footsteps in the Sand." Ever since, I rarely say phrases like "Dear God be with me" as I know he already is. Baptism refers to the way we immerse ourselves in each day.
• I pray I will explore, discover, develop and appreciate the Talents, Treasures and Time granted to me, and optimize them in Your name and to your benefit. I was struck by the phrase "talents, treasures and time" the 1st time I heard Fr. Tom in our church mention it; it pretty much covers all that we have at our disposal, eh? What we are born with, what we earn or create, with whom we establish relationships, and the time we have in our hands to do all this. And it is so easy to take this for granted, to not look for and discover the gems placed under our noses, to not nurture them into greater fruition, nor fully appreciate it. And of course, to not fully apply them in an industrious manner. This chant is to elevate my awareness to such pitfalls and help overtly counter such missteps.
  

The "classic one" is the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I have always found the words in this passage have profound weight and wisdom.

I am unclear how this has impacted me - - I did not determine any metrics by which to assess changes in my day to day ways, and cannot say for certain my behavior has really fundamentally changed. But I have come to greatly enjoy this morning tradition to settle myself before the day begins.