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.
