Letter from the Acting President August 2022
“There are people who have let the problems of today
Lead them to conclude that for them life is not the way
But every problem has an answer, and if yours you cannot find
You should talk it over to Him
He’ll give you peace of mind
When you feel your life’s too hard
Just go have a talk with God”
Dear Reader,
I sat with a friend over breakfast recently, catching up after a couple of months of not seeing each other. He
began describing his experiences battling a serious medical condition that has been especially difficult
recently, leaving him weary and battered. Witnessing a beloved friend suffer in pain is never easy, but as I
received his words, I could not help but be deeply moved by a sense of his profound resilience.
I remarked that he seemed buoyant, all things considered. I saw a spark in his eyes, and he quietly replied -
“You know, Stuart… I just stick to my most important principles - maintain a great spirit, keep a positive
attitude, and stay prayed up.”
This three-pronged philosophy for resilience sounded pretty good to me, and after we finished our meal,
those words stuck with me for the rest of the day. As they echoed in my mind, I kept going back to the third
prong – “stay prayed up.” Something about that one seemed different…
It eventually occurred to me that the first two - gathering the resources to maintain a great spirit and
keeping a positive attitude - are kind of internal processes, marked by willpower and a certain outlook on
life. Maybe they have something to do with gratitude, which I wrote about in my last letter.
Staying “prayed up,” on the other hand, requires connectedness. It requires something outside of oneself.
To pray is to be in relationship. The power of prayer is not the ability to communicate something to oneself,
but rather the ability to express something of deep meaning and significance to someone or something that
is also deeply meaningful and significant.
Once I traveled to Jerusalem and made it a priority to spend a full day in the Old City, which has been a
sacred site for at least 5000 years. There, within the city’s walls, one can experience some of the most
important places from the Abrahamic traditions. The Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
and the Western Wall all exist within a quarter mile of each other.
As I stood before the Western Wall, which is among the holiest places (if not the holiest place) in Judaism, I
witnessed dozens of people before me rocking back and forth, praying. Enchanted by this powerful scene of
devotion, I heard the symphony of prayer wash over me. I was stunned.
Turning to a man next to me, who was wearing traditionally Jewish garb (and not actively involved in
prayer), I introduced myself – “Excuse me, sir. I am not Jewish, but I have a profound sense of sacredness in
this place. I can’t imagine what it means to be here as a Jew – can you help me understand?”
He furrowed his brow and studied me for a moment, in thought. Soon, his face softened, and he smiled. He
told me, “You see, my people have come to this very place for hundreds of years. And we have done
basically the same thing – praying, worshiping, mourning, celebrating…”
He continued, “What has happened, is that these stones you see in the wall before you have, in a sense,
borne witness to the prayers of millions of people, over all this time. So now, they are no longer just stones.
The stones have souls.”
This was a peak moment of understanding in my life. I recognized the power of taking the spiritual churning
within oneself and manifesting it in the world through expression. It changes the world, and oneself.
Prayer is not confined to words, either. Rev. Gena Davis, ordained Episcopal priest, certified yoga instructor,
spiritual director, sound healer, and founder of YogaMass, for example, has taught hundreds of students
about praying with the body. For Rev. Davis, an experience of prayer involves the whole self - body, mind,
soul, and spirit. In many traditions, the position of the hands during prayer is significant.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “prayer”? Do you imagine a specific word or phrase? Or
perhaps a position of the body or hands? Do any images or symbols come to mind?
If you do not pray, or if you feel resistance to the concept of prayer, I encourage you to flex your creativity
and compose (or draw, or sing, or embody!) something that reflects your deepest values. Then, find a quiet
place that feels safe, and share it intentionally with an entity outside of yourself. Perhaps that’s God, or
maybe it’s the memory of a loved one, or a special object, or another person, or simply “the universe.”
Prayers are for any occasion.
I believe the creative possibilities for prayer are endless. Find joy in prayer!
With Peace and Warmth,
Stuart C. Nelson, MA
Acting President
Executive Vice President