Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with the vision of eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the smoothing music of the singing streams.
Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking one-minute vacations...
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 the tortoise that I may know the race is not always to the swift;
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look up into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down Lord, and inspire me to send my roots into the soil for life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.
Slow me down, Lord; slow me down!
By: Cardinal Richard Cushing
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for posting this prayer! I absolutely love it and I use it daily to remind myself to SLOW DOWN! Thank you for everything that you have shared, it means a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteI just happened upon your blog, and found this prayer.
ReplyDeleteI recall seeing it in a store window in Chinatown, San Francisco. It helped me focus my life and remember what is important. God bless you.