Slow Me Down�?

Slow me down, Lord!                                                      Ease the pounding of my heartBy the quieting of my mind.Steady my harried paceWith a vision of the eternal reach of time.Give me,Amidst the confusions of my day,The calmness of the everlasting hills.Break the tensions of my nervesWith the soothing music Of the singing streamsThat live in my memory.Help me to knowThe magical power of sleep,Teach me the artOf taking minute vacations Of slowing downTo look at a flower;To chat with an old friend Or make a new one;To pet a dog;To watch a spider build a web;To smile at a child;Or to read a few lines from a good book.Remind me each dayThat the race is not always won by the swift;That there is more to life Than increasing its speed.Let me look upwardInto the branches of the towering oakAnd know that it grew great and strongBecause it grew slowly and well.Slow me down, Lord,And inspire me to send my roots deepInto the soil of life's enduring valuesThat I may grow toward the starsOf our greater destiny.- Offered by Dave Johnson and Kyra Shahid; Written by Orin L. Crain