look upward into the branches

Lord, I give you my cluttered conscious mind- it's fears and joys, its failures and successes. Here it is for You to take and hold.
Now I give you my subconscious mind. You know I've no control over the passing patterns of thought or the dreams I might dream tonight, but You made me, and I will trust You. I go to sleep safe in Your keeping. Good night, dear Lord.


Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of times. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical restorative power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations... of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and tortoise that I may know that the race is not always to the swift that there is more to life than increasing speed. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak, and know that it grew because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values, that I may grow toward the stars of your rewards. Amen.