What is prayer?

I'm trying to live my life from the inside out, to delve in and find the pith of life and live it authentically. I've never been one for surface talk and chit-chat. I'm on a journey, a quest for what is real and meaningful and to live from there. It's a spiritual journey.

One of the questions I've been pondering is "what is prayer?" Why? Because I feel a deep connection to something deeper and greater than what I see with my eyes. I'm searching for the words to describe what I experience.

My "church" right now is the young cedar tree down the lane. I go there in the mornings, next to the field, and just watch and look and listen. Sometimes I'm very quiet and reflective. Other times I feel my soul stirred by the breeze and the fresh air in my lungs and my heart just bursts out singing. A huge wave of joy and gratitude and love washes over me.

That's the key—love! When I kiss my daughter goodnight, that's a prayer. When I hug my husband, that's a prayer. When I pour my heart into my work and render a service, that's a prayer.

Prayer is the flow of love. It flows to us, through us, surrounds us. It connects us to mysteries beyond our comprehension. And to the living, breathing people standing right in front of us. It opens our minds and cheers our hearts. It nourishes our souls and calls them to dance.

So often I approach prayer as a requirement, a duty. But it's so much more than the "murmur of syllables and sounds." It is the music of the soul, the breath of life, a connection to all that is and to the life-force that animates the universe.