I wear prayers like shoes. Pull’em on quiet each morning take me through the uncertain day. — Ruth Forman

DOWNTOWN

I have lived in cities for many years. Several cities. Several climates. Same situation. I have walked down my street before things start to move and shake with daily traffic. It is not uncommon for people to have slept on street benches or in alleys or behind dumpsters or under bridges in these places. Their humanity frames my path. They are holy. Their story is mine if I open my arms wide enough to hold it. We are one on these same streets.

PRAYER

In her poem “Prayers Like Shoes,” Ruth Forman explains, “I wear prayers like shoes. Pull ’em on quiet each morning and take me through the uncertain day.” Shoes are strength. Shoes are comfort. She shares that the most helpful advice her mother ever gave her was, “Girl, you go to God, and get you some good shoes, cause life ain’t steady ground.” If prayers are like shoes, prayer sustains. Prayer is essential and relevant. Prayer is steady ground. Prayer is holy.

BOOTS

In a city I lived, a man slept on a bench on my block. He used his boots as a pillow. Worn boots cradled his chin while he slept. The boots protected him when he slept. They they offered him strength. They made his world a bit less uncertain. The boots were a prayer. The boots were holy.

A CHALLENGE

There is a challenge to the whole prayer-like-shoes idea. If prayers are like shoes, we must make prayer a part of our lives in real and tangible ways. People understand prayer differently. If prayer is constant and unceasing, we must pray even — and especially — when we feel alone and angry. If prayer is a conscious conversation with God, we see the holy throughout our world and tell about it. If prayer is about self-awareness, we live a mindful connection to our breath. If prayer is about finding oneness with others, we are loving and compassionate — no exceptions. Meister Eckhart reflects, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” — in that sense, prayer is gratitude. 

PRAYER IS 

Prayer takes practice. Prayer guides. Prayer holds. Prayer builds. Prayer protects. Prayer grounds. Prater invites. Prayer sustains.

TYPES OF PRAYER

I was taught over the years about specific types of prayer — prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession. Prayer is built on fundamental health and safety. Prayer is the belief that we are seen and loved. Prayer is like breath — a life sustaining thing we just simply do. Prayer is intimate and personal. Prayer reflects a personal relationship with a force beyond our understanding. Prayer is paying attention to it all. Prayer is perpetual morning.

MARY OLIVER ON PRAYER

It doesn’t have to be/ the blue iris, it could be/ weeds in a vacant lot, or a few/ small stones; just/ pay attention, then patch// a few words together and don’t try/ to make them elaborate, this isn’t/ a contest but the doorway// into thanks, and a silence in which/ another voice may speak. -Mary Oliver 

Iris bulbs have been passed along by the generations of women in my family. They are the backbone of my family’s gardens. It makes sense to me that Oliver begins her thoughts of prayer mentioning irises. They are beyond words. They are hope and history. They are the whisper of what has been, is, and will be. They are memory and thanks.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOTS

I think back to boots. Finding comforting pillows. Embracing our strange and weird and other selves. Knowing strength and comfort. Holding conversations. Connecting with all that is. Seeking sturdy ground. Thanking for it all.