The birds are cheerfully singing their songs this morning and my dog and my cat are taking their first naps of the day in the warmth of the sun’s ray touching the red porch tiles. I love living in small town America. I love sitting on the porch swing watching the world celebrate another day’s awakening, waving at my neighbors when they pass by in their cars. I love watching the neighborhood dogs and cats wandering on their morning walks, the black cat trying to sneak on the porch to snitch a few bites of Kat’s food.

Dictionaries define small towns as towns where people are honest, friendly, and polite. Small towns are close knit communities where everyone knows everybody and people rely on each other like family. Friday night football is like a gathering of relatives with hand shakes and pats on the back and bragging about grandchildren. The world spins slower on its axis in small towns. Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but right where I am.

The sunset was so pretty tonight, a study of mauve and purple, layers of muted color resting on a light orange horizon, glowing with the fire of Mother Nature’s paint brushes. This little prayer popped in my head as I walked down the street to get a better look at the sunset. “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Please angels watch me through the night, and keep me safe till morning light.” This was my prayer every night when I was a child. This sweet prayer was considered a nursery rhyme in the 18th century. I’m sure generations of children have recited this prayer at bedtime and generations will continue to recite it.

Might be a children’s prayer but it’s a powerful message about the peace that comes when we genuinely trust in the Lord to keep us safe. We communicate with God through our prayers. Just a simple thank you for the day is sufficient. Praying is just having a conversation with God. There is no right or wrong way to pray. The Lord can listen to our prayers any time of the day or night.

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing,” — Martin Luther King

Praying at night can comfort us and give us peace as we lay down our heads and shut our eyes for sleep. Praying in the morning or reading a short devotional can be a peaceful start to our day. Prayer helps us stay closer to God. Psalm 145:18-20 reads “God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. He does what’s best for those who fear him — hears them call out, and saves them.” Be joyful and faithful in your prayers. God is listening even when life is difficult.

I’ve shared this prayer many times and here it is again. I love this prayer and read it tonight in my prayers for family and friends.

Apache Blessing — May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world, and know its beauty all the days of your life.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough,” Meister Eckhart.