Keep a Prayer Journal

One of the best ways to get into a meditative practice is to keep a prayer journal. Anyone can learn to relish this delicious approach to prayer – and everyone can reap its soulful benefits.

Some of the best spiritual snapshots in my mind have been taken when writing in my prayer journal. I’ve written in the hazy morning, and at starry night; inside by a cozy fire; outside in the cold watching Comet Hale-Bopp by candlelight. I’ve placed flowers in my journal, and autumn leaves, and a lock of my husband’s hair. Of course the most important aspect is the content of the journal, the prayers themselves, the intimate reflections of our life, our joys and sorrows, our world, all immersed within our relationship with God.

As young girls, we kept diaries detailing in breathless excitement every private thought and hope we had for love and life. As women, keeping a prayer journal can be an answer to that girl, as well as a conscious expression to God of our gratitude for our journey and all the gifts we continue to receive daily. More, you will be able to see how you have grown spiritually when reviewing older journals – how the things you pray about, and how you pray, have evolved. Over time, you may even wish to gather a ‘best of’ collection as a gift for your children.

If you haven’t done this before, you may want to buy a special journaling book at a local bookstore or card shop, one with images or colors that inspire you: roses, the sea, the stars, angels. This will be your special book, your keeper of sacred communication. After many years of journaling, I now use regular student notebooks – not the tall thin kind, rather the 9 ½ x 6” spirals with 200 or 300 pages. A bright jewel tone, like cobalt, crimson or emerald, usually adorns the cover.

Like any form of prayer, your new practice will grow deeper if you set aside a time and place each day that is just for this, just for you. A quiet place works well, although you don’t have to be alone. The morning commute, if you find yourself sitting on a train or bus for more than 15 minutes, provides a wonderful opportunity to get centered and greet the day with some observations and prayers. Other ripe moments occur when the kids are at school or the baby is napping peacefully. The bath is a special time as well.

I usually start writing from a place of gratitude, usually noting my surroundings, the weather or landscape. There are some books you might enjoy about this form of prayer that can help you learn more and give you some tips. But the real joy is simply writing from your heart. Trust yourself. Honor your feelings. To help you get started, here are some of my thoughts today:

Dear Risen One,

Thursday morning. A wintry sky. The sun is hazy and faraway, glowing like an opal from behind its pale gray blanket. Perhaps it will shine through; perhaps it will snow. I love the sun like this. Somehow its star nature comes through more in winter when it is furthest away, mysterious, and shrouded. What gifts will its passing bring today?