The Prayer Thread is a collection of teachings and practical prompts to help as we learn to pray in community. This text was originally delivered on December 19, 2025 as a short teaching at our online weekly prayer sit.
Before winter, the leaves fall. Trees simplify their lives. In prayer, I offer attention to fewer words.
In winter, the temperatures drop. Four-legged animals, like bear and squirrel, rest. In prayer, I breathe deeper and seek stillness.
By winter solstice, the days shorten. Sun and moon still dance daily, but earth tilts toward darkness. In prayer, I look inward and cast a small light onto the shadows.
In winter, the seeds wait. Plants and grasses have dropped their fruits into the cold darkness. In prayer, I look for beauty and wait while my heart cracks open from the searing of sorrow.
In winter, the leaves are gone, so even when the wind wails, the forest is silent. In prayer, I sigh deeply and consent to an absent Presence.
In winter, creation reminds me how to pray. In winter, when I pray, I offer simplicity, stillness, shadows sorrow, and silence.
