Slow Me Down, Lord

Today was a long, busy Monday. I got up a little later than I should have this morning, so I hurried to get ready. Left a little after 8am and rushed to school. My full day of classes finally ended at 3:45. I left immediately after class and headed off to put 4 hours in at the office. Hurry hurry hurry... rush rush rush. From one thing to the next. Tonight, a patient gave me a copy of this prayer. "Slow Me Down, Lord." How appropriate. May we all s l o w d o w n.

Lord, slow me down.

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 time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the
calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and
muscles with the soothing music of the
singing streams that live in my memory.
Help me to know the magical, restoring
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.
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 my greater destiny.

-- Wilferd A. Peterson