Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with the vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking one-minute
vacations…of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise that I may know that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed. Let me look up into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil for life’s enduring values
that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. Let me and my family take pride in our partnership with You, working with You in the annual re-enactment of Creation, bringing new life out of the soil for ourselves to use and to relieve the hunger and cold of our brothers in Christ over all the world. Remind me to commune, from the tractor seat and the milking parlor, with Out Lady of the Fields and with our special patrons, St. Isidore the Farmer and his holy wife, Maria. Slow me down, Lord,
that I may live more abundantly.
– Anonymous
From the December 1960 Catholic Rural Life magazine
Editor’s Note: This prayer is a part of our “From the Archives” series. The series highlights articles, stories or news snippets from the CRL publication archives that are still relevant or thought provoking for us today.
