Lord, keep me in the spirit of prayer

This summer, I had a very happy reunion with Jane, my best friend from my hometown, Morton. Besides being my dearest friend from school days, and the maid of honor in our wedding, she was also in the Chicago Symphony Chorus long before most of us. We had a great carpool reunion dinner here in Oak Park, as well as a wonderful visit, catching up with over 30 years of absence.  She presently lives in New York City, where she still uses her amazing voice to perform and teach. 

She and her parents were powerful witnesses to Jesus' love, and they were very patient and generous with me during our high school and college years.  Jane recently reminded me about the importance of prayer.  When we were in high school, we used to meet (in a practice room) to pray before school.  We had a little group of regular participants, and it really was an wonderful way to get through those difficult high school years.  We practiced "conversational prayer," where we took turns talking with God about whatever was on our hearts.

As an adult, I'm not really comfortable praying out loud, but I'd love to be able to relive the closeness that we felt both to God and to each other during those prayer sessions.

During the many stressful and demeaning situations that I have faced during the past few years, I often try to be in a constant state of prayer, starting with my first thoughts of the day, and continuing until I fall asleep at night. I thank God for helping me stay cheerful and peaceful in the face of difficult times.