In Beauty May I Walk: A Navajo Prayer
In beauty may I walk
All day long may I walk
Through the returning seasons may I walk
Beautifully will I possess again
Beautifully birds,
Beautifully joyful birds
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk
With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk
With dew about my feet may I walk
With beauty may I walk
With beauty before me may I walk
With beauty behind me may I walk
With beauty above me may I walk
With beauty all around me may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.
Dear God,
I just wanted to take a moment to think you for being the beauty that walks before me, behind me, above me, and below me. I want to thank you for being the trail of beauty I have wandered on now for the past 58 years. This prayer is so powerful for me, in part because walking is not an act I take for granted; it is something I have to be intentional about doing and practicing. It is a process where I am ever mindful of every step I take. I am always thinking about the trail I am on and what is on it with me. For example, the other day I had to have blood drawn and there was no clear space near the curb cuts for Zoe to push me. So I held on to the back of the wheelchair like a walker and one step at a time I walked carefully and prayerfully across the parking lot and through the snow. With each step, I could see the beauty of you who was moving my legs and guiding my feet, especially the right one where there is no feeling. It is in those moments that I am especially mindful that your beauty surrounded me and always has.
I can see your beauty in the fall when I walk on leaves and hear them crackle under my feet. I see your beauty in the myriad of colors that form a quilt on my lawn. I see your beauty in the spring when the grass peeks its way out and the plants and bulbs come back to life after hibernating in the snow all winter. I am can see your beauty in the summer when your radiance shines all around me warming my skin.
I can see your beauty in the birds who gather outside our office window. I can see your beauty in our cats who stretch out on the desk and walk in faith knowing the next can of food will be opened and the treat jar will open again. I can see your beauty in the white clouds on blue skies. I can see your beauty in the branches covered in snow and creating a piece of art to be appreciated.
I can see your beauty in the love of friends and family. I can see your beauty in my birth, my aging, my illnesses, my recovery, and my life. I can see your beauty when I lie down in your arms at night and wake up in them in the morning. I can see your beauty in every breath I take and in the life which surrounds me. As the song says, you are so beautiful to me. Thank you for being so beautiful and thank you for creating me in your image.