
Dolphins were sporting in the water this afternoon as I walked alone on the beach. I saw a woman staring at the sand. “Did you see the dolphins?” I asked, excitedly. “ Shhh,” she replied, “ I’m praying and meditating.” I left chastened, but then I began to question. Does prayer exclude others or is it a way of talking to God about others? Should we meditate and ignore others or meditate about how we treat God and others? Do I make my own prayer time so private that I forget what I’m told to pray for—not only myself, but also a wounded world around me? Forgive me, Father, when I act as if your creations are interruptions to my prayer, and not the subject of my prayers. Amen.