Last spring, I wrote a 5-part series of articles on How Affirmations Changed My Life. The whole series was a precursor to my email course on the power of prayer to find peace and fulfillment. In the process of finalizing the series of articles for the course, our home and everything in it burned to the ground (2-part series about the fire starts here.)
After months of regrouping and starting over after the fire, I want to share the power of prayer for your life.
I have published many memes and articles on how the practice of gratitude helped me through the tough times in my life. But I did not learn to be grateful overnight — or at least not until I fully embraced the power of prayer. Not just any prayer, but focused affirmative prayer taught to me during my practitioner training.
The first step in this process was to learn that I am not separate from God/Spirit. Even as a child in the Catholic Church, I learned that God was everywhere. And part of everywhere was within me! Imagine that! God is not the bearded man in the sky that was watching my every move, keeping track if I was naughty or nice — a bit like Santa Claus!
If you look out in nature, it is easy to see God is everywhere and in everything: In the trees and plants, in the birds and animals, in the sky and stars. 
Nature can be the very thing that grounds you as one with Spirit. Many people find solace in the outdoors. I feel closest to Spirit at the beach, watching the waves beat against the shore and listening to the seagulls above. Others find in amongst the trees of a forest. You may find Spirit when you are caring for your garden. We are all different, but we can all find the stillness of Spirit around us — when we look for it.
Once recognizing Spirit dwells within everything, then we can begin to commune with God through affirmative prayer.
Unity magazine describes affirmative prayer in their newest booklet, The Power of Prayer:
Affirmative prayer has the power to change our perception of current experiences. It grounds us in the present, such that we open ourselves to new possibilities for the future.
~ Unity Booklet, The Power of Prayer
Spend time in nature, feeling the presence of Spirit, this coming week. Next week I will share more about the Power of Prayer.