Nothing focuses the mind
quite like fear
and sometimes I think
that my best praying is done
when I’m in the dentist’s chair.

I lie back in the chair
and close my eyes
choosing not to see
any inordinately long needle
that my dentist might need.
And I begin to pray.

I pray that if I need injections
the needle may not hit a nerve
this time.

I pray that this may not be painful
and that, if it is painful,
that it may be bearable.

I pray that I may not groan
(a dental assistant once held my hand
when I groaned …
and I just died of embarrassment!)

I pray for the Holy Spirit
to guide the hands of the dentist
as he deftly manipulates the drill.

I pray and I pray.
Nothing distracts me –
no thoughts about work
or plans for tonight’s dinner.
This is highly concentrated prayer.

At last, my ordeal is over
and I rise from the dentist’s chair
with a quick, relieved,
“Thank you, Lord!”
only realising now, when I relax,
how tense I have been.

But I can’t help thinking –
isn’t it a pity
that it seems to take the dentist’s chair
for me to give my full attention
to My God?

© Claire Murray, 15th December 2015

There’s a saying that goes,
“If you keep doing
what you’ve always done,
you’ll keep getting
what you’ve always got.”

I think
that there’s a lot of truth in that.

Today we went to Tollymore,
a place we know well,
but instead of following
our usual route
along the banks of the Shimna
we followed a mountain path
frequented, it appears,
by only mountain bikers and foresters.
And we made so many discoveries
along the way!

We found tall, slender trees
with smooth, golden bark,
and a wee holly tree
sprouting, high above our heads,
on the branch of a dying, great oak.

We found snow-capped peaks,
mountain streams and waterfalls
arched stone bridges
and granite seats.

We made so many discoveries
in a place we thought we knew so well
simply because we chose
to go a different way!

Lord,
in all aspects of my life,
remind me to have the courage
to be more adventurous in my choices
because
if I keep doing
what I’ve always done,
I’ll keep getting
what I’ve always got.

© Claire Murray, 13th December 2015

As I enter the Adoration Convent
on a cold, snowy, winter’s night
I feel troubled in mind.

The chapel is simple, peaceful
and quiet.
As I enter
I feel the air warm
against my cold face
and I feel such a strong sense of welcome
that it almost feels
like a bear-hug.

Sitting here in the silence
beside Paul
and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
I have a sense
that I have been worrying
unnecessarily
and that all will be well.

I feel at peace.

Some time later
I leave the Adoration Convent.
It’s still the same cold, snowy winter’s night
but now
I now feel at peace.

© Claire Murray, 10th December 2015

Traffic is moving slowly
on the road ahead of me
and when I turn the corner
I can see why –
a huge “Men at Work” sign
blocks one side of the road
completely.

This is going to take a while;
I’ll need to be patient.

Sometimes I think
that I would need
a huge notice like that
pinned to my back
except instead of saying “Men at Work”,
my notice would say,
“God at Work”.

I feel that I am very much
a work-in-progress
and that, every day,
My God and I work together
to help me to become everything
that My God has intended
that I can be.

Lord,
help me to be patient with myself
as I endeavour each day
to make a little more headway
on this “work-in-progess”
that is destined to last a life-time.
Help me also
to be patient with others
whose progress is, at times,
as slow as my own.

© Claire Murray, 8 December 2015

For me
that the worst feeling in the world
is the feeling that I’m the only one
in a particular situation
and that in my struggle
I am alone.

At times I feel troubled
or distressed
about some aspect of my life –
perhaps difficulties at work
or at home
or the challenges of trying to be
a good parent or a good friend
or if I’m caught in the cross-fire
when others dispute
or sometimes if life simply seems
to overwhelm me.

I bring my troubles to Jesus in prayer.

Sometimes I look up at a picture
called “In the Wilderness”
depicting Jesus’ struggle in the desert
as he tried to come to terms
with the enormity
of what was being asked of him.
This image reminds me
that Jesus once walked in this world
and that at times,
he, too, struggled to cope.

I sense
that Jesus understands
all of the struggles of humanity,
and all of my struggles
completely.

I sense that
Jesus is right here by my side
and that, in my struggle,
I am not alone.

© Claire Murray, 8 December 2015