I wrote this a week ago but have been hesitant to publish it because it seems so simple and obvious. Still, it’s been on my heart ever since. And even after writing/typing it all out, I find I still need the reminder. Maybe someone who reads it will feel the same…

I’m an aspirational organizationalist. By that, I mean that I’d like to be much more organized than I am. Oh, I have my moments where I manage to get some aspect of my life in ship-shape, but much like Whack-a-Mole, soon as one is tackled, another rears its ugly head.

One of the ways I try to address this is by keeping a day-timer/planner (mine is a “Day Designer”). As much as I adore technology and the numerous apps that facilitate keeping track of life and thoughts and things, having a hard copy in which to hand write my appointments, tasks, plans, and dreams seems to help.

Recently, I’ve taken to adding “Pray” to the beginning and ending of each day. Which seems…perhaps silly. Like scheduling “shower,” or “get dressed,” or “breathe.” It should just come naturally – I feel guilty acknowledging that I need a reminder. But…I do.

It’s not that I don’t ever pray without the reminder. In fact, I pray frequently. But all too often, it’s a fleeting thought – a momentary concern lifted to God but quickly overwritten by the next “SQUIRREL!” that scurries across my far-too-easily distracted brain.

What I’ve been failing to do is set aside dedicated space in my day to focus truly – deliberately — on praying. I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and I know it matters not whether the prayers I pray are for little things or big things, as all things are possible with God.

What matters is that I do it. Set down the phone, turn off the TV and computer and anything that distracts with alerts, clear my mind of all the clutter, and commune with God.

The note in my Day Designer isn’t a “To Do” to check off my list. It’s a gentle nudge — a call — to thank Him for the many blessings in my life and the wonders of His creation – the warm sunshine on my face, the robin I encountered on my walk Sunday; to ask that He help a friend recover from illness, that He heal another friend’s spine, another’s broken heart, another’s troubled mind; that He protect the people of Ukraine and all those caught in the crossfire of a war-torn world; that He soften the hearts of even the cruelest of despots that they may turn away from evil toward Him; that He help elected officials to step up and be true leaders.

The list of things to pray on and for may be endless but none of them are out of His reach. And though I well know not all prayers are answered in ways I might hope, I do know that they are heard.

So I tell myself — and anyone else who may need the reminder — remember to pray.