Being Present

Today I was struck by the absolute beauty of Lake Michigan. I was on my way to our weekly interfaith meeting, but just had to stop and stand for a minute and watch the waves crash against the rocks along the lakeshore. The fierce wind caused the waves to collide with the rocks so that the water rushed up in giant swells so that the mist almost reached the walkway I stood on. As I started thinking about the meeting I was reminded of how much I truly love learning prayers from other faith traditions. I thought about a book by Thich Nat Hanh I had read and how he reminds us to stop and be present to the moment. I took a movement to simply breath in the fresh air and thought, “I am breathing in. I am breathing out. I am present to this moment. Thank you God for this moment.” Being caught up in the beauty of the lake I said a simple prayer, and was able to center myself before the meeting. I think that we can all learn from other traditions, and love when I remember to let other traditions prayers help me to take time to experience the present and thank God for the wonderful world he created.  


- Elaina Jo