Micah Bucey is one of S&P's film reviewers. A United Church of Christ-ordained minister, he currently serves Judson Memorial Church of New York City, a congregation committed to curiously seeking the intersections between spirituality, justice, and creativity. We have been posting his short prayers that touch upon the concerns of populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, he has focused on black lives taken and the protests springing up around the world. We will continue to add to his prayers for those killed, for protestors, and for the prophets and community leaders who encourage them.

Here are the prayers:

March 23rd Tiny Prayer (for Boulder, Colorado):
May you feel support encircle you as you grieve, may you feel solidarity surround you as your shock gives way to fear and anger, may we finally pay attention to how our idolatry is slaughtering, us, how rampant guns combine to kill us all, and may we demand another way, a path that is possible if those in power will do more than just think and pray.
Amen

March 19th Tiny Prayer (for sex workers):
May you be deeply affirmed in your work and value, may you be safe from exploitation, trafficking, white supremacy, misogyny, and violence, may you be surrounded by loving community that is vocal and invites you to be vocal about your worth, and may you be unfailingly respected and celebrated, not in spite of what you do, but because of who you are.
Amen

March 18th Tiny Prayer (for US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland):
May this historic moment give you breath, inspiring you to speak out for the land and people most affected by our continuing legacies of colonizing greed, may you ground yourself in truth when you are questioned, may you center yourself with strength when you are challenged, and may we all lift up your voice, not only symbolically, but in very real ways that question our own assumptions, challenge our own consumption, and call us to an energetic transformation far more radical than our violent, lazy history has yet unearthed.
Amen

March 17th Tiny Prayer (for Asian communities):
May you be buoyed by the outrage and solidarity supporting you as you grieve loss and violence that directly connects to this nation’s living legacy of white supremacist lies, may you be surrounded by safety, and may the racist rhetoric at the root of this pain be continuously called out by all until its architecture is eradicated and overcome with an embodied commitment to long-avoided transformation.
Amen

March 16th Tiny Prayer (for the queer community):
May you remember that any church that refuses to respect your life does not deserve to affect your life, may you find your faith in the chosen family that not only affirms your existence, but loudly, lovingly celebrates it, and may your spirit be infused with the gospel truth that the divine delights in every single moment you dare to spend being unapologetically, fabulously you.
Amen

March 15th Tiny Prayer (for those who are questioning themselves):
May you quiet the critical voices inside and outside you and decide to take them seriously, but not personally, may you remember that you shouldn’t always know the answers, as that keeps you closed off to curiosity, that you shouldn’t be fully grown, as that gives you nowhere to go, that you shouldn’t always be right, as that is something of which literally no one is capable, may you breathe into the powerful truth of who you are right now, someone who is always learning from and teaching yourself at the same time, and may you be humble enough to stay confident in your ability to do both.
Amen

March 13th Tiny Prayer (for the loved ones of Breonna Taylor):
May you feel the collective energy of so many surround you, not a true comfort in the face of the enormity of your loss, but still a growing groundswell demanding that change come, that the violence of white supremacy and police brutality be abolished, and that names not simply be said, but actively remembered, until we actually put our systems, our votes, our money, our hearts, and our commitment where our mouths are.
Amen

March 12th Tiny Prayer (for those who need to do a bit more listening):
May you not rush to answer, explain, or defend, may you remember that you don’t always, or even ever, need to have an immediate fix, may you find the quiet core that keeps you nourished enough to feel worthy and open enough to be changed, and when you do respond, may you ground yourself in hope and be heard as deeply by others as you have just practiced yourself.
Amen

March 8th Tiny Prayer (for the family of George Perry Floyd, Jr.):
May you feel the solidarity of so many surrounding you as you seek authentic accountability, may you find regular peace from the glare of media attention and re-traumatizing detail, may your love and memories sustain you through this latest trial in a long line of trials, and may justice come to light, igniting a future free of the violent lies of white supremacy and police brutality and fueled by the freeing fires of truth.
Amen

March 1st Tiny Prayer (for Women’s History Month):
May we celebrate the countless contributions, inspiring movements, and hard-won progress, looking back at where we’ve been and looking forward to where we have yet to go, but mostly looking honestly at where we are, who has been left out along the way, what voices have been drowned out by the continuing violence of misogyny and white supremacy, and how, even in the midst of our appropriately loud rejoicing, we can also challenge ourselves to more authentically uplift all.
Amen

February 27th Tiny Prayer (for our minimum wage):
May $15 per hour be only the first step on a pathway toward embodied economic justice, authentic equity, and lasting prophetic witness, may our next move be a complete overhaul of our approaches to valuing labor and humanity, and may we refuse to rest until all work and all people are supported in ways that not only vocally celebrate how they sustain our society but also actually sustain their lives.
Amen

February 24th Tiny Prayer (for Lawrence Ferlinghetti):
Thank you for your prophetic witness to the insurgent power of poetry, for the generous nurture you have given to countless voices by quieting your own and allowing them to rise, for the bright city lights with which you have guided restless, wandering seekers, and for continuously reminding us that words have power, that symbols are ours to dismantle and recreate, and that plentiful playfulness is a necessary ingredient for a continuing revolution.
Amen

February 18th Tiny Prayer (for Texas):
May all who are cold and vulnerable find warmth and safety, may all who are isolated and disjointed find support and connection, may all who are hungry find nourishment and may all who are thirsty find clean water, and as you wait for power to be restored, may those in power hear not only your cries, but the cries of our heaving natural world as it desperately reminds us that, in the face of such obvious climate change, it is up to us to actually change ourselves.
Amen

February 17th Tiny Prayer (for those who are having to draw a boundary):
May you be assured that the assertion of your own value, needs, and limits is an act of love, for yourself and others, and may you be so regularly in touch with these things that you are continuously able to set your own boundaries without building walls, to address bad behavior in good faith, and to feel the deep peace-filled sense of self-worth that you hope all might eventually feel.
Amen

February 14th Tiny Prayer (for love):
May you be something more than commercialized, commodified sugar and spice, may you be a steady spiritual imperative that pushes us out of our comfort zones and calls us, again and again, to radical relationship, to deeper commitment to justice, accountability, honesty, repair, and transformation, may you be a constant that cannot be abused or manipulated, may you be a renewable resource that respects boundaries but refuses to erect false borders and walls, may you be a truth that every living being feels enveloping their souls, and may you nudge us, faithfully and firmly, toward horizons of community and care that we haven’t yet dared ourselves to imagine.
Amen

February 12th Tiny Prayer (for U.S. Senate Republicans):
May you listen far more deeply than you think is necessary, may you step outside your own fear and move into a wisdom that awaits you far beyond the walls of your own political maneuverings, and may your hardened hearts and minds be softened, opened, and forever transformed by something that far transcends your party loyalty to your own version of the truth: The Truth.
Amen

February 11th Tiny Prayer (for Myanmar):
May you feel the solidarity of so many surrounding you, may our collective energy inspire your strength and undergird your safety as you raise your collective voice, may justice and democracy surface and flourish, even as some in power seek to undermine and eradicate their potential, and may the world keep watch, not allowing our attention to be diverted by our fickle news cycle, but rather steadily supporting you as you fight to embody and empower the true will of all of your people.
Amen

February 9th Tiny Prayer (for the U.S. Senate):
May the perennial promises of truth, accountability, and justice ignite the hearts of all, today and far beyond today, may you not simply argue, but transform the argument, may you not simply condemn, but dismantle in preparation to rebuild, may you embody your sacred calls to not only represent but to repent when necessary, and may you remember that you are unmaking and remaking a country with every honest move you make, with every veracious step you take, and whenever you stand up and speak out for all our sakes.
Amen

February 4th Tiny Prayer (for the U.S. House of Representatives):
May wisdom visit your chambers, pushing you to recognize, name, and actually address the natural results of years, decades, centuries of rampant lies, conspiracies, and white supremacist nationalism, may you take your duty seriously, remembering that, above all, you are called to choose the side of life-giving justice, to expel ego-obsessed extremism, to dismantle deadly status quos, to repent for the ways that this country fails to unshackle itself from its original and continuing sins, and to co-create policy that actively envisions and enables new pathways that will liberate and challenge us into boldly humble newness.
Amen

February 1st Tiny Prayer (for Black History Month):
May this be a time of celebration, education, and inspiration, and may this country also finally challenge itself to think far beyond the boundaries of set-aside months and safely-packaged lesson plans, committing to fresh visions, reparative policies, new leadership, and radical actions, liberating continuing Black History from the present and pervasive shackles of white supremacist systems, violence, and ideologies, and nurturing freely thriving Black Futures.
Amen

January 31st Tiny Prayer (for SOPHIE):
Thank you for the infectiously creative ways that you blasted through the boundaries placed on art and identity, for the genius and generosity you offered your trans community, for your consistent breaking of society's binary barriers that deeply deserve dismantling, and for gifting us the uncontainable beat of self-empowering, embodied spirituality that will keep us dancing into a future that is still becoming.
Amen

January 30th Tiny Prayer (for our imaginations:)
May we remember that the only real change that has ever truly happened has sprung from daunting visions that shook our status quos, dismantled the supremacist empire lullabies of reason, logic, and complacency, and completely transformed the death-and-scarcity-dealing norms that we once thought would always be givens into life-saving and life-giving possibilities.
Amen

January 29th Tiny Prayer (for Cicely Tyson):
Thank you for your life-long modeling of fierce grace and unwavering commitment to your community, for the humor and humanity you unfailingly brought to our stages and screens, for the generous ways you have encouraged generations to believe that they are also exemplary, no matter their level of fame, and just as the stories you told and the characters you embodied live on in our media, may the memory of your near-century of love-filled life be an unending blessing, inspiring lives and love for centuries to come.
Amen

January 28th Tiny Prayer (for those who are fearful of the announced domestic white supremacist terrorism threats):
May you do the only two things that most of us can do in response to this news, stay alert and informed, and may you re-channel the rest of your anxiety into extra energy for the things you actually can control, strengthening your relationships, organizing, exercising and nourishing your body, drinking enough water, breathing, and feeding your soul with all that brings you joy.
Amen

January 27th Tiny Prayer (for those who are wondering whether there has actually been a peaceful transition of power):
May you stay alert and aware that, alongside the signing of executive actions and the tentative hope of promises being made, there is ample nationalistic white supremacist force that remains empowered, emboldened, and active, both above and beneath the surface of our news cycle, and may your awareness not drive you to ineffective despair, but may it instead push you toward more collaborative work, deeper education and mutual aid, humbly honest self-and-systemic critique, and abundant collective connections, which are our only truly hope-filled paths toward peaceful, powerful transformation.
Amen

January 25th Tiny Prayer (for those who need a wake-up call):
May you remember that “normal” has historically excluded, abused, exploited, murdered, enslaved, tortured, and delayed, and may you actively aim for “radical” instead.
Amen

January 23rd Tiny Prayer (for those who fear that we might become collectively complacent):
May you commit today to being a voice that refuses to call for unity without accountability, a voice that demands interrogation of the normalcy that so many lazily say we need, a voice that sows tough, steady love for the vision of who we can become if we will only actively embody it, may you listen to voices who will strengthen your own when you grow hoarse, and may we regularly nudge ourselves and one another awake, especially during this time when our celebration can turn so quickly and easily into sleepiness.
Amen

January 22nd Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling weary):
May you remember that, no matter how solaced or celebratory we might feel right now, we have still all just experienced a national nightmare whose violence is tied to deep history and whose legacy will continue to haunt us, may you remember that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic whose continuing traumas are tied to corruption, delay, inequity, ineptitude, fear, lies, and loss, and may you listen to your heart, your lungs, your muscles and your joints when they all tell you that this is untenable, that exhaustion is a completely acceptable bodily response to this level of consistent stress, and that weariness is not weakness, just a remarkable tool we have to tell us to slow down, to name our need, and to grant ourselves the grace and the rest we know we all still deserve.
Amen

January 21st Tiny Prayer (for Day Two):
May we allow the complex feelings overtaking our bodies and souls to simply be, whether it’s deep relief, continuing grief, rage for the work long derailed and delayed, hope for the work that beckons us forward into the future, or all of these things and every feeling in between, and as the glow of Day One dissipates into memory, may we not go too fast, but may we also not go too slow, and may we together learn the new rhythms of the rest of our lives, gaining back our grooves and nudging ourselves to try the new moves we’ve been avoiding for years.
Amen

January 20th Tiny Prayer (for President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris):
May you enter this day with vigorous hope, may you each pause to check in with your body, may you quiet yourself, feeling the anticipatory beat of your heart, may you breathe deeply, allowing your lungs to fill with fresh air, may you look back at all of the people and passion that have brought you to this place and may you look forward to the work that awaits you, but may you also allow yourself to simply be fully present here, now, at the threshold of infinite possibility, may you be surrounded by safety, may you be free of fear, and may be willing to be charged, challenged, and changed by the honor you are receiving today, modeling for us all how to embody the promises of our democracy by acknowledging our interdependence and recommitting to the connections that will continue to charge, challenge, and change us all.
Amen

January 19th Tiny Prayer (for those who want to change the world):
May you remember that you are doing just that, even when you can’t immediately see the shifts, may you connect with others who are open to learning from you and who can also teach you their own ways of sustaining themselves through what feel like agonizingly slow movements, and may you find at least one thing today that ignites your faith in the fact that we are entering a time of both foundation rebuilding and foundation shaking, a disorienting and reorienting moment in which we will all need to keep reminding one another of the undeniably transformative parts we each are playing every single day.
Amen

January 18th Tiny Prayer (for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day):
May we refuse to whitewash this day and this legacy, may we recognize the many ways we have decontextualized and misused this man’s words in order to protect ourselves from the real work in front of us, may we raise up the countless individuals who have devoted themselves to the cause of freedom, names we might not proclaim and revere, but whose blood, sweat, and faith have transformed our past and present, may we give gratitude for generous leadership and for community organizing, and may this moment not be a hypocritical holiday from reality, but rather a continuing call to dismantle the idolatrous lies of white supremacy, to uproot the rot of racism, classism, and brutality at the core of this country’s soul and systems, and to boldly and humbly interrogate our living history so that we all might finally live into a story of continuing collective liberation.
Amen

January 15th Tiny Prayer (for those who are counting the days):
May you channel this antsy energy into action, for yourself, for your community, for the continuing work we’ll still have to do, even after next Wednesday, may you celebrate the oncoming horizon, may you keep calmly focused, even as we witness and experience our country’s growing pains, and may you recommit yourself today to the days beyond, to a life defined by participation in our collective awakening, and to a longview that can hold both the happiness that is unfolding immediately before us and the imperatives we must embody in order to keep our future on course.
Amen

January 13th Tiny Prayer (for Congress):
May you choose today to uplift accountability over forced unity, repentance over forced reconciliation, honesty over forced healing, justice over forced peace, may truth-telling overcome lie-entertaining, and may the long-delayed eradication of white supremacy from our systems make new strides, gain new spirit, and finally root out the rot at the core of this country’s wounded, yearning soul.
Amen

January 10th Tiny Prayer (for those who are glued to their screens):
May you remember that you not only need but also deserve sabbath, rest, and restoration, may you balance doomscrolling with joyscrolling, and may you sometimes simply close your heart off to the glare, assured that regular and brief turning away is necessary in order for you to stay tuned in to the work that will still be there when you turn back to it again.
Amen

January 8th Tiny Prayer (for Senator Jon Ossoff):
May you not be daunted by the hard work that lies ahead, but instead energized and elated by the truth that years of faithful work by countless dedicated individuals have led to this current hopeful moment, and as the glow of your celebration bears the shadow of a Capitol in chaos, may you remember that it is not only for the historically good days, but also for the historically bad times like these that you have been trusted to lead, trusted to rise above, and trusted to trust that this is not only your mess to address, but the responsibility of all of us who will continue to trust, lead, and rise with you.
Amen

January 7th Tiny Prayer (for this mess of a country):
May we pause to take a hard, honest look at ourselves, may we not waste our time claiming that what we are witnessing is not who we are, and instead collectively wonder what must be done if what we are witnessing truly is who we are, may we loudly name and negate the unchecked white supremacy and toxic masculinity that has been allowed to fester and rule for centuries, may we stop hemming and hawing about reaching across some fake aisle and instead pour our energy into creating undeniable hope for the most oppressed among us in the face of fascistic cynicism, and may we together recommit today to not denying the parts we have played in the problems, but to reclaiming the parts we can play in the solutions with newly humble and vulnerable vigor.
Amen

January 6th Tiny Prayer (for Senator Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock):
May you bask in the galvanized energy lifting you as you offer gratitude for all who have paved this way before and beside you, may you breathe, knowing that the work that lies ahead will be difficult, but that it will be buoyed by the continuing dreams of your ancestors and the co-creative visions of partners who will walk with you, change you, challenge you, and remind you of who you are and why faithful service matters, and even when the immediate glow of this day dims and the weight feels too much to bear, may you listen to the strong, still, small voice that stays steadily lit within you, pushing you to keep everyone who has helped to bring you to this historic moment as proud of you as they are right now for many moments to come.
Amen

January 5th Tiny Prayer (for Georgia):
May every single vote be easily cast and counted, may lines move swiftly, may all who set out to make their voices heard be welcomed and encouraged, overturning the embarrassing history of suppression and segregation that have marred your history, and may this picture of democracy in action become the model for a future free of racism and corruption, until all of our established systems truly become the embodied reflections of our purported values.
Amen

January 4th Tiny Prayer (for Black Voters Matter):
May you feel the majority of a nation celebrating your tireless dedication to nurturing collective power, may you hear the support of so many raising up your loud and proud commitment to those whose voices are so often dismissed and drowned out, and as you keep your sights set on unveiling the truth this Tuesday, may you be assured of the growing gratitude undergirding your devotion, reinvigorating democracy and making certain that its future lies in the hands of those who will never let its yet-to-be-realized promises die.
Amen

January 3rd Tiny Prayer (for those who are pressuring themselves to address it all):
May you reshape this unnecessary savior energy that is boiling beneath your skin and redirect it toward the only real duty you actually have in the midst of this global pandemic, covering your own contribution to our collective survival, and when the stress becomes too much, may you not get dragged down again into the lie of unchecked self-sacrifice, but may you breathe into the freeing truth that there will always be things that are within your control and there will always be things that are far outside your control, and may you humbly trust others to take care of their own parts while you humbly recommit to becoming an expert only at your own.
Amen

December 30th Tiny Prayer (for those who want to take care of everything):
May you look at your own history and, basically, the history of the world, and realize that no one, including you, has ever done anything completely on their own, may you take comfort in the fact that the entire art of living is a collaborative exercise, not a solo act, and may you be content right now to simply do your part, offering the energy and expertise you have to give, receiving from others what they have to give, and having enough healthy humility to know that there is no need for you to take on the entire world when your own world is showing you just how much you can rely on it.
Amen

December 17th Tiny Prayer (for those who are detained and have been participating in the hunger strike inside the Bergen County Jail):
May you feel solidarity surround you, permeating the walls that confine you, reminding you of the multitudes who are fighting alongside you, and as we witness the power of your protest, may we all feel your hunger, your pain, your determination to dismantle the walls that stand between the cruel realities of this country’s systems and the visions of who we must become, and may we all recommit to abolishing these dehumanizing barriers and building rehumanizing sanctuaries in their place, until all hungry souls need not strike, but are instead free to taste the life-sustaining liberation that should be available to all.
Amen

December 15th Tiny Prayer (for Asbury United Methodist Church and Metropolitan AME Church):
May you feel the committed solidarity of so many surround you, calling for an end to the myths of white supremacy and for the eradication of racial violence, may your pain be felt by all, pushing us to interrogate the large and small ways that our individual and collective complacency perpetuates such myths and such violent acts, and until we actually root out this rot, until our systems actually convey the truth that Black lives matter, may we atone for this continuing history through action, through speaking up, moving beyond our facile calls for reconciliation, and actually living into the transformation that real reparation truly requires.
Amen

December 14th Tiny Prayer (for the Electoral College):
May you listen to your better angels, instead of entertaining the nefarious noise surrounding you, may you live into your duty to represent the will of those you represent, instead of giving in to the pressure of democracy-demolishing dubiousness, and until a more just system is secured, one in which the maneuverings of the elite can no longer erase the achievements of the oppressed, may you take seriously the honor you are still afforded today and do right by a country that still has yet to do right by all.
Amen

December 13th Tiny Prayer (for Charley Pride):
Thank you for the openhearted spirit of your musicality, for the collaborative generosity of your creativity, for the sturdy steadiness of your leadership, and as we celebrate your achievements and mourn your passing, may we listen to the yearning in your songs and commit to continuing your radical legacy, making you proud of the ways we tend and extend the trails you have so brilliantly blazed.
Amen

December 12th Tiny Prayer (for our democracy):
May you continue to withstand the relentless attacks pelting your fragile power, may those who seek to undermine your integrity be regularly, resoundingly rebuked, may more and more of us realize that the violence of corruption may wound, but that collective honesty always has the final word, and may each government decision to uphold your virtue inspire each of us to recommit ourselves to securing new possibilities for the most vulnerable among us, those who still have yet to taste the fullness of your promises.
Amen

December 10th Tiny Prayer (for Human Rights Day):
May this 72nd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not just be a memory of a moment or a remembrance of disembodied promises, but rather a reminder of universal truths, that every person has inalienable rights, that we must always acknowledge our interconnectedness, both in the midst of a global tragedy and far beyond it, that equity, non-discrimination, and sustainability must be core principles of a post-pandemic world, and as we look to the future, may we recognize both how far we have come and how far we have to go, so that we will not be too daunted by the continuing work, but rather reinspired to truly Iive into these weighty words we celebrate.
Amen

December 9th Tiny Prayer (for the Supreme Court of the United States):
May you take this rare moment, one in which you all, with one brief sentence, despite the pressures and partisanship, dismissed the dangerously ridiculous as dangerously ridiculous, and may this unified action continue to show you how to listen to one another more deeply, to see one another more clearly, to regularly and humbly step outside your own silos to seek common sense connection, until you build a chain of just actions and just decisions that just might shift this country toward good for good.
Amen

December 7th Tiny Prayer (for those who need a bit of space):
May you close your doors for just a moment and focus your full attention on your own need for restorative solitude, may you stop trying to force constant engagement with others, may you trust that your own soul knows when it has been run ragged and that you know how to heal it, if you will only stop and tend to its ornery creaking, may you remember that the only sustainable way that you can continue to generously love others is by first generously loving yourself, and once you’ve reclaimed that self and reinforced your own foundation, may you open up again, welcoming others back into the orbit of the renewed sanctuary that you’ve become.
Amen

December 5th Tiny Prayer (for Middle Collegiate Church):
May you feel embraced by the admiration, prayers, and solidarity of the millions of us who are constantly blessed by your actively courageous faith, and as you grieve the damage inflicted on your physical sanctuary, may the fierce spirit of sanctuary that you so powerfully embody every day give you strength right now, may your unstoppable message of revolutionary love continue to rise and heal this broken world, and as you rise and heal from this moment of devastating brokenness, may you be nourished by a constant flow of spiritual, emotional, and financial support, rebuilding a new hope and a renewed home for all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you will be.
Amen

December 4th Tiny Prayer (for those who could use a nap):
May you surround yourself with supporters who understand the resistant power of reclaiming your own rest, may you listen to those who offer permission and solidarity, especially when the lies of capitalism try to convince you, yet again, that you are nothing more than a vessel for productivity, may you sit down, may you doze off, may you place screens far from your reach, and may you be ferociously quiet, especially when the annoying noise of your own head tries desperately to alert you to things that really, truly, sincerely can wait.
Amen

December 1st Tiny Prayer (for those we remember, those we celebrate, and those we support on World AIDS Day):
May the fierce witness of your lives echo in our hearts, today and all days, beyond grief and fear, beyond government lies and societal dismissal, beyond stigma and stagnation, may your fabulosity know no bounds, may your visionary rage grip our imaginations, may your survival, whether in body or spirit, urge us to do more, to be more, to act up more, until education and dedication lead us, at long last, to zero new cases, to just systems and abundant resources, and to honest healing and bold hope worthy of your vibrant, living memory.
Amen

November 26th Tiny Prayer (for the continuing education of our country about this holiday):
May we humbly interrogate the myths that have pervaded our history lessons for too long, may we offer back stolen breath to the real stories that have been intentionally buried, the true tales that tell of the invasive violence of settler colonialism, of Christian supremacy, of white supremacy, may we offer gratitude for the self-reflection toward which this rediscovering points us, for the repentance and reparations it requires of us, for the unending honesty it urges us to embody, may we learn new languages, those of relationship over domination, of honesty over self-preserving fantasy, and may we actively transform ourselves into a society for which all can actually authentically give thanks.
Amen

November 21st Tiny Prayer (for our Trans, GNC, and Non-Binary neighbors):
May you deeply know that, even as Trans Awareness Week ends and Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience passes, more and more of us are waking up, more and more of us are remembering with and honoring you, and as society both exoticizes and harms your bodies, as the mainstream media quickly moves past your stories and struggles, may you also deeply know that a growing chorus of us are committing and recommitting to speaking up, calling out, and fighting like heaven with you, every week, every day, every moment, to make sure that you are not only our brilliant future, but also seen, valued, celebrated, and protected now, here, in our slowly but steadily queering present.
Amen

November 17th Tiny Prayer (for Nicaragua, Honduras, and all who are suffering the effects of Hurricanes Eta and Iota):
May you find safety and security, even as you are surrounded by winds that seem stronger than you are and waters that threaten to drown out your homes and hopes, may you receive the aid and solidarity you need in order to rebuild in the wake of destruction, may the hearts of those who can help remain moved and alert, even as our fickle news cycle alerts move on, and may this loss of life and calm urge us all to deepen our commitment to fighting for climate justice, not only for our future, but for a very present present that is acting out and crying out for all of us to truly change.
Amen

November 13th Tiny Prayer (for those who are itching for something new):
May you remember that transformation doesn’t always come in gigantic, earth-shaking waves, but often in the form of tiny, almost imperceptible shifts, may you listen not only to your heart’s deepest desires, but also to those longings that feel too small, too silly, too insignificant to mention, may you commit to exploring one of those wishes today, may you tell someone about your plan, just to engender some extra accountability, and may you find fun in welcoming change a step at a time, allowing minor evolution, instead of being constantly crushed by the major overwhelm of enormity.
Amen

November 11th Tiny Prayer (for those who are yo-yoing between elation and worry):
May you explore this rhythm with curiosity, learning the ups and downs, the lifts and dips, trusting that the art of living is not found in perfecting happiness, which is impossible, but rather in studying your own habits, strengthening your own muscles, and experimenting with new steps that will help you to more nimbly navigate both the highs and the lows, may you observe how many of us are also seeking this balance, may you ask others about the approaches that are aiding their own equilibrium, may you step back and separate the moves that are within your control from those that are way beyond your control, and may you give your energy only to the things that nudge you toward the promises of empowering joy, letting the nagging lies of disempowering anxiety go dance somewhere else.
Amen

November 9th Tiny Prayer (for those who are somewhat daunted by all the work we have yet to do):
May you welcome this bit of overwhelm and hear it calling you to radical honesty, may you be invigorated by this authenticity, putting it to hopeful work instead of allowing it to work you into a passive paralysis, may you listen to the voices who have been telling the truth about this country for years, may you invite their stories to inspire the developing ways in which you will participate, ways in which you will nudge this society to do more, to listen more, to be more, and may you add your own conscious commitment to the building narrative of who we are becoming, assured that our collective imagination needs your active encouragement in order to expand.
Amen

November 8th Tiny Prayer (for those who are ready):
May you celebrate this regalvanizing step, this rekindling of a flame you feared was about to burn out, this resurrection of a fight you feared was dying away, may you hear the shouts of unfettered hope filling the air, locally, nationally, globally, may you breathe in this solidarity, may you offer gratitude for those who have worked tirelessly to keep faith alive, may you remember that this is a first move, a reigniting, a resurrection that will require your continuing faith, fire, breath, and forward motion, and may you invite this joy you feel to become the fuel that keeps you lit, inspired, and committed to the true freedom that is still many steps away, but eagerly awaiting our arrival.
Amen

November 7th Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling tentatively hopeful):
May you hold on to this growing sensation, may you hold on to yourself, and may you hold on to those around you, may you not scroll or search for reasons to diminish this growing confidence, but rather seek humbly hopeful connection with those whose faith will further inspire your own, those whose commitment to both this anticipatory moment and to the continuing work that will surely follow both lift you higher and deeply ground you, may you listen to the voices who remind us all that there is still much to be done, and may this increasing buoyancy float us into our next steps, convincing us that we can achieve all aspirations together, if we will only remain as authentically enthusiastic and interested as we are starting to be right now.
Amen

November 6th Tiny Prayer (for Stacey Abrams and so many other Black leaders and organizers):
Thank you for your fierce commitment to fighting for fair elections, combatting voter suppression, lifting every voice, and singing us into a future that so many in this country have yet to actively embody, and as we celebrate the countless payoffs of your tireless work, may the memories of past oppression push us to remember and not repeat history, may the realities of continuing oppression push us to further transform our hearts and expand our minds, and may the oncoming visions that you are conjuring, through organization, outreach, and deep faith, challenge us all to live up to the promises of the country that you are moving and loving into actual existence.
Amen

November 5th Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling a bit impatient):
May you welcome this nervous energy, shaping it into recommitment to the work that will still need to be done, no matter what the votes tell us, may you meditate on the issues that matter most to you and make plans for your next moves, may you educate yourself on the issues you know less intimately, finding ways that you can support those who are fighting the fights you don’t regularly enter, may you acknowledge the intersections of all of these issues and struggles, may this acknowledgment make you feel deeply connected to everyone around you, and may these connections give you hope, perhaps a jittery, irritable, uncertain hope, but hope all the same.
Amen

November 4th Tiny Prayer (for those who are waiting):
May you allow yourself to grieve this delay, but may you also remember that this hold-up is assuring us that all voices will be held up, that all votes will be counted, that those who have diligently exercised their right will have their contributions acknowledged, may you reach out to those you love and find some rest today, may you do something that pulls you away from screens and back into the beauty of your everyday existence, and may you trust that this liminal feeling will transform into something else, that you have done your hope-filled part for now, and that our continuing collective work will be there to pick back up soon, no matter what.
Amen

November 3rd Tiny Prayer (for our country):
May this swell of enthusiasm last far beyond this day, may this abundance of energy, this hum of history-making, this recommitment to collective liberation lift and sustain us long past this moment, may the love we pour into our votes radicalize our hearts, reminding us that we can be this ecstatic and involved every day of our lives, if we will only hold ourselves accountable to embodying this excitement until all can actually feel the freedom we so often want to celebrate, may the visions of who we must be transform the failings of who we have been, and may we allow today’s eager steps to propel us forward, humbly confident that we are creating a new way and a new country together.
Amen

November 2nd Tiny Prayer (for our collective breath):
May you steady us in the present moment, reminding us that we are part of a movement that is always larger than any one of us and still needs every one of us, one that transcends victory or defeat, one that has room for our rage, our grief, and our joy, may your in-and-out rhythms model ways for us to both take responsibility and let go, ways for us to both offer what we have to give and welcome what others have to offer, may you nudge us toward solidarity that will buoy us and transform worry into transformative possibility, and may you give us hope that our participation and cooperation are constantly contributing to a future that has breath and hope to spare.
Amen

November 1st Tiny Prayer (for those who are dreading this Tuesday):
May you be gentle with yourself and with everyone you encounter, knowing that we are all carrying weight that we don’t even understand, that we are all simultaneously fearing and trying to predict outcomes, that we are all struggling to live in the present moment while deeply needing to do just that, may you contribute what you can, step away when you must, trust that what you have offered is enough, encourage yourself and those around you to breathe, and may the inspiring visions of collaborative community that you see happening right in front of you transform your incapacitating angst into active hope for a co-creative future that will stretch far beyond the anxieties of this week.
Amen

October 30th Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling discouraged and disconnected):
May you step outside your own sinking thoughts and see the generous systems working around you, even in the midst of grief, even in the midst of fear, helpers helping, voters voting, phone bankers calling, text bankers typing, organizers organizing, volunteers giving what they have to give, may you remember that this teamwork is always available, uplifting, and effective, no matter what temporary defeats rain down, and may you breathe into this collective circular breath, an interdependence that is calling us to continually name it, recognize it, and embody it, even when things don’t seem as dire as they do right now.
Amen

October 29th Tiny Prayer (for poll workers):
May you be surrounded by safety and gratitude, may you feel the warmth of beaming smiles beneath our masks, may you be protected from conflict and violence, may you be buoyed by the pride of taking selfless part in our collective act of democracy, may your work be celebrated by everyone you encounter, and may your generosity of spirit, your hopeful offering of time and energy rub off on the rest of this country, showing us all how collaboration, interdependence, and recommitment might just light the way to a bright and beckoning future.
Amen

October 28th Tiny Prayer (for Walter Wallace, Jr.):
Thank you for the life you lived, for the change you made, for the children you raised and the legacy they will continue to carry, and as we shout your name and demand accountability from the violent systems that stole you from your family, may our cries reach the deepest depths of this country’s continuing, racist sins, may we learn to actually deescalate, instead of depending on brute force, may this society learn to actually care for those whose lives need protection, may this society actually learn to honor the value Black lives and defund and dismantle the Empire power, and may we hold ourselves responsible for creating a world that no longer has need for hashtags and knows true liberation for all.
Amen

October 27th Tiny Prayer (for those who need to fume today):
May you give yourself the permission you require, knowing that the ground feels shaky, the air feels thick, the future feels scarily uncertain, and then may you reconstitute this anger into action, connecting with those who are also transforming their rage into a radical recommitment to love, trusting that this sparking electric current presently flowing through your body is simply seeking redirection in order to refuel your continued participation in our hopeful revolution.
Amen

October 26th Tiny Prayer (for those who are hoping to change hearts and minds):
May you remember to keep your inner eye focused on your own energy, engaging others when you have some to spare and resting when you are depleted and despairing, may you keep in close contact with those who are in this work with you, those who will remind you exactly why you are doing this, especially when encounters with opposition threaten to steal your joyous commitment to justice, and may the potential and possibility on which you so rely keep you primed for transformation, even and especially when conversation feels sticky, stagnant, and far from simple.
Amen

October 22nd Tiny Prayer (for Pope Francis):
May you take this moment, filled with celebration from those you have affirmed and backlash from those who still fear the future, and open yourself up to more moments, more modeling of how a human being can grow, transform, question assumptions, and actively choose to embody evolving spiritual leadership, may you take the energy you have, combine it with the gratitude being beamed your way, and ask yourself where else your voice is needed, who else could use your solidarity, and how else you can continue to employ your humble power to shake up institutionalized harm into new, prophetic possibility, an exercise we all can embody, if we set our hearts, minds, and spirits to it.
Amen

October 21st Tiny Prayer (for the parents of the more than 545 children who were separated from them at the US border and still can’t be found):
May you be reunited, against all odds, in the face of extremely intentional evil, and whether or not reunion is, at this point, actually a possibility or just an impossible fantasy, may the irreparable harms this country has inflicted upon your families sear into all of our memories and hearts, pointing our attention toward our complicity, drawing us toward deeper discernment, demanding accountability from our government, pushing us all toward participation, education, and repentance, until inhumanity is eradicated from our systems, the lies of white supremacy are dismantled, and the cruel, closed border between this country and its moral conscience is broken down and reshaped into an open, inviting threshold.
Amen

October 12th Tiny Prayer (for Indigenous Peoples’ Day):
May this observance not merely be symbolic, but troublingly transformative, may it call us to reject the colonialist mythologies that have populated our most popular history books, may it celebrate the cultures and stories that our white supremacist narratives have sought to destroy and bury, may it push us toward repair and relationship before forcing reconciliation, may it demand more from us, even and especially when we think it’s too much, and may we commit today and every day to honestly owning up to our past, authentically interrogating our present, and moving carefully into a future that we must earn in order to create.
Amen

October 8th Tiny Prayer (for those who fear that their vote won’t count):
May you stay vigilant about voter suppression, outreach, registration, and turnout, but while you wait and worry about the numbers, may you also think of your own vote as a sacred spiritual offering, not simply one tiny piece within a vast system, but a love-filled representation of the vastness of your own heart, a prayerful symbol of your continuing commitment to nudging this country into transformation, a hope-fueled vessel for the change you wish to see in the world, and as you cast your own vision into the sea of visions, may it open you up to an invigorating understanding of just how necessary your participation always is.
Amen

October 5th Tiny Prayer (for those who just don’t know what to believe anymore):
May you remember that, beyond the gaslighting, beyond the equivocating, beyond the trickery, there are truths that transcend, truths that you know deep in your soul, truths that you feel deep in your heart, truths that you actively embody every time you listen for the still, small voice inside you and connect it to the voices within those around you, stepping away from narcissism and nationalism, questioning your own assumptions and privileges, and continuously co-creating new ways for truth to reveal itself and rise above the lies.
Amen

October 3rd Tiny Prayer (for those who were already having difficulty focusing before adding the chaos of this past week):
May you remember that your life is far larger than the glare of the fickle news cycle, may you deeply know that, beyond the outrage, the confusion, the gaslighting, and the shifting predictions, your work, and the gifts you bring to it, are essential, your health is essential, your care for yourself and others is essential, and even as the stories continue to unfurl, double back, drift away, distract, digress, and die, may you keep your mind set on what is most essential to you, pour your energy into everything and everyone you love, and continue to keep your heart’s vision focused on those new horizons we are currently conjuring together.
Amen

October 1st Tiny Prayer (for those who need some quiet):
May you not take yourself so seriously that you feel you must constantly contribute to the noise, may you trust that the community can sustain itself while you take some time for yourself, may you step away and approach this moment intentionally, turning off screens, devices, the constant nagging voices in your head, and whether you are able to do this for a day, an hour, or even just a minute, may you breathe in the calm you wish to encounter in the world, breathe that calm back out into a world that rarely admits that it needs it, and may your moment of self-care inspire a chain of care that transcends the babble and lifts it into a new realm of collective communication.
Amen

September 30th Tiny Prayer (for those who are still reeling from last night):
May you allow yourself to ache, to be horrified, enraged, scared, and sad, but may you not lose yourself, your hope, or your own voice in the noise of it all, may your own spirit’s need to be lifted inspire you to lift the spirits of those around you, may your own scrambling for strategy point you toward the organizers who can help focus and sustain your energy, and may your fear for the future bring you back to the present, a place where you have connections, resources, and multiple ways to combine your horror, outrage, fear, and grief, breathe your longing for new life into them, and recommit to co-creating the country that is aching to be born.
Amen

September 28th Tiny Prayer (for those who need to make an apology):
May you find the generative spot between humility and confidence, that balance between humbly knowing that repair is needed and confidently knowing that the lasting authentic strength of a relationship rests on how openly we can admit to falling short and recommit to the long haul, may you not force forgiveness or acceptance, but instead listen for how your offering of amends is heard, and as you work to rebuild trust, may you trust your own growing creative ability to take the lessons you are learning and humbly, confidently shape them into new ways forward.
Amen

September 27th Tiny Prayer (for those who don’t know where they fit in):
May you realize that we are all always hovering somewhere between confidently claiming our places in the world and fearing that we have no home to call our own, that none of us truly feel that we fit in without fail, may you start with what you do know, that you want to make connection, just like most people around you, may you move from there to outreach, finding those whose openness starts to give you a sense of belonging, may you challenge yourself to speak up about the things you care about and encourage those who speak up to you, and may this supportive act begin to build shared shelter that is big enough to house all of us, each taking our place and leaving room for everyone else to find theirs.
Amen

September 26th Tiny Prayer (for those who don’t know where to put all of their nervous energy):
May you gather up these sparks that keep you so on edge and pour them all into your passions, may you reserve a bit for your own creativity and may you take the rest, reach out to those who are fighting for the change you wish to see, and ask how your spirit, commitment, and talents might best serve a larger cause, and even when you have found directions for this electric flow, may you continue to listen to your body as it tells you when to be still before you burn out, and may you marvel at how the connection of this voltage within you to the currents of collective transformation around you channels hope in ways never possible if you tried to contain it.
Amen

September 24th Tiny Prayer (for those who are mad as Hell):
May you not lose yourself in this shadowed valley between rage and grief, but instead observe how many of us are wandering this wilderness with you, may you never deny this inflamed feeling, but when you feel yourself about to be consumed by the heat, may you reach out to those who are collectively blazing ways out of these despairing depths, may you offer your rage as a gift to these uprisings, listening to those who can help you organize your anger into action and focus your fear into sustained attention, and may you not reach for hope before you’re ready, but may you invite the communal striving for it to keep you climbing out of the fire.
Amen

Septebmer 23rd Tiny Prayer (for those who feel pulled in too many directions):
May you stop and breathe, simply and steadily, trusting that the world’s spinning does not rely on you spinning, that there is a difference between what you feel must get done and what actually must get done, that there is a distinction between necessity and noise, may you choose the next thing that deserves your attention, addressing it carefully and calmly, and when you have reached a pausing place with that thing, may you choose the next thing, building a pattern of patience over panic, depth over dithering, and may you surprise yourself with how much can be done when you realize that you don’t have to do it all.
Amen

September 19th Tiny Prayer (for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg):
Thank you for your fierce and fabulous life, for the trails you blazed, for the commitment to truth you embodied, for the defiance you offered your naysayers, for the strength, breath, energy, and spirit you diligently contributed to our continuing fights for justice, and as you rest in the power you have so vigilantly earned, may we loudly grieve with your loved ones, may we loudly celebrate your legacy, and may we invite your beloved memory to reignite the fires of our political passion, to resurrect our belief that persistence can win, to nudge our hearts into devoted gear to vote, to strategize, to organize, and to make you continuously proud of who we all can be when we put our deep mourning, our deep admiration, and our deep gratitude to work.
Amen

September 18th Tiny Prayer (for those who fear speaking their truth):
May you remember that your authentic voice is necessary, that you are not simply a receptacle for others’ ideas, opinions, and anger, but a living, breathing being with your own organic wisdom to offer, may you open your heart to listening for where you might learn and where you might teach, for that sweet spot where humility and honesty meet, and may you balance both with every word you utter, assured that this dynamic act will bring you clarity, so that you may bring clarity to those who need to hear it.
Amen

September 17th Tiny Prayer (for Dawn Wooten):
May you feel surrounded by gratitude and safety as we thank you for your courage and you prepare for the backlash, may you stand firm in your resolve to tell the truth, to shed light on sick, shadowy practices, to risk your own life in order to rehumanize those who have been so dehumanized, and even on days when your bravery dips, may you always deeply know how lovingly you have changed the world, how boldly you have underlined our need to pay attention, how valiantly you have modeled for us all how to remain human amidst systems that threaten to strip us of humanity, how to amplify our voices amidst the brutal banality of evil that continues to feed on our silence.
Amen

August 28th Tiny Prayer (for Anthony Huber):
Thank you for your courageous life, for embodying conviction and solidarity, for putting your body on the line to protect your fellow justice-seekers, and as we mourn your death and honor your conviction, may we not simply valorize your selfless act of heroism, but instead heed the clarion call for a deepening of our own participation, our own confidence, our own necessary commitment to pressuring the moral arc of the universe, in whatever huge and tiny ways we can, until it actually bends toward justice.
Amen

August 25th Tiny Prayer (for those who are seeking purpose):
May you observe the hurting world around you, the overwhelming news, the painful stories, the deep and continuing needs of your community, and may you choose small steps over big despair, not daring to think that you’ll save everyone and everything in one move (or even one hundred moves), but starting where your own natural gifts might be most helpful, a call, a donation, a volunteer shift, a grace-filled gesture, and may you allow yourself to be awed by the simple, the doable, the actionable options that are hovering right in front of you, aching to be embodied.
Amen

August 24th Tiny Prayer (for Jacob Blake):
May you feel the empathetic energy of so many of us surrounding your wounded body, may the medical professionals who tend your injuries be steadfast as their care combines with your own resilience to save your life, may your children be supported by loving kindness as they suffer the trauma of seeing their father treated mercilessly by excessive, heartless force, and may your name not join the list of those murdered by police, but may your story trouble our hearts until we actually dismantle the systems we’ve built and create new, justice-fueled, life-saving visions in their place.
Amen

August 5th Tiny Prayer (for those who are numbed by the news):
May you never hide from the realities around you, but may you feel your body telling you when it is time for a different approach, may you not only see the suffering occurring a block away, a state away, an ocean away, but also the stories of those who are responding, rebuilding, recreating in the wake of destruction, and may these helpers model how you might also offer your own gifts, especially once your nerves are sparking again and you can contribute more than despair.
Amen
* with thanks to Saint Fred Rogers *

July 27th Tiny Prayer (for those who are experiencing burnout):
May you waste no more time wondering if this feeling is real and trust that your body, your heart, and your mind know best how to tell you to slow down, may you actually listen, without shame or guilt, assured that this is a natural part of a cycle, one that requires you to actually believe that no one, including you, can move at this pace forever, and may you actually, right now, make a plan for when you will rest, before you forget this truth and disappear into your hurried timeline again.
Amen

July 23rd Tiny Prayer (for those who are filled with rage):
May you listen to this feeling, thanking it for doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing, keeping you alert and humming with energy, and may you trouble this emotion by not only focusing on what you are against, but by also focusing on what you are for, what is keeping you going, who is bringing you joy and hope, where you see yourself contributing to change, and may you not dismiss your anger, but realize that it is only the first step toward something far more freeing.
Amen

July 21st Tiny Prayer (for Portland, Oregon):
May you feel solidarity pouring in from all sides, as you enact your constitutional rights, as you embody your spiritual calling to resist tyranny whenever it rears its head, as you face what could be in store for so many of our cities, and may safety surround you as you show us all how deeply necessary protest is, how deeply dangerous empire power is, and how deeply hope-fueled this continuing fight must be.
Amen

July 19th Tiny Prayer (for those who are finding it difficult to be optimistic):
May you welcome the nonbinary knowledge that optimism and pessimism are not your only choices, and may you commit to a truth in between, a truth that exists even when you don’t remember it, that you have resources, community, and your own gifts to offer, that there is meaning, even when the path ahead is unclear, and may you stop trying to force assured steps and instead wander with the rest of us for a while.
Amen

July 18th Tiny Prayer (for Representative John Lewis):
Thank you for offering the fierce gifts of your mind, heart, and body on the front lines, for your unbeatable commitment to racial equity, for your dedication to teaching us how to march for freedom, to run for office, to use one’s power to empower all, and as we mourn your death and celebrate your life, as your own marching and running end, may we embody your modeling of unstoppable justice-seeking and carry your spirit through the hard work that remains.
Amen

July 16th Tiny Prayer (for those who are burning the candle at both ends):
May you step away from taking yourself too seriously, admitting that this feeling that you must do it all right now is an unsustainable demand that capitalism has cruelly drilled into your soul, may you listen to the aches in your body, the chaos in your brain, and the shortness in your breath, may you promise your heart, your mind, and your lungs that you will take an unproductive moment to rest, and may you surprise and delight yourself by actually keeping your promise.
Amen

July 11th Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling surprisingly joyful):
May you nurture this feeling and not hoard or waste it, knowing that joy is a resource far deeper and more lasting than mere happiness, knowing that joy does not erase the real suffering in this world, but rather lays a sustainable foundation to cradle our constant pain, and may you be unafraid to generously share its subtle power, not to force inauthentic smiles on anyone, but to remind us all that there is something beautiful bubbling beneath even those muddier moments when joy feels far harder to unearth.
Amen

July 10th Tiny Prayer (for those seeking asylum):
May your continuing journey be moored by the steadfast solidarity of so many of us, and as we fight the latest proposed gutting of this country’s already cruel, dismissive, racist laws, may you feel the fierce push of activists and organizers, documented and undocumented, as we lift up your stories and lives, collectively bending the moral arc of our history toward the embodied welcome, safety, liberty, and justice that this country has yet to truly, freely offer all.
Amen

July 9th Tiny Prayer (for our educators):
May you feel surrounded by gratitude for the love and expertise you bring to your vocation, and as our elected officials hem and haw about money, politics, and power, may you deeply know how appreciated your work is, may you deeply know that you are the keepers and sharers of wisdom, of ethics, of history, all things we sorely need right now, and may you deeply know how many of us are prepared to fight with you to make certain that deep education overcomes shallow greed.
Amen

July 5th Tiny Prayer (for those who are still reflecting on the change that needs to come):
May you take this reflection and turn it into action, seeking continuing education, especially when it is inconvenient or overwhelming, learning that it is not enough to simply admire those who are rising up, speaking out, unearthing, and dismantling, but that admiration must always inspire motion if it is to be anything but empty, and that true creation is not a spectator sport, but must rather become an ever-deepening, ever-spreading invitation to collaboration, especially for those who could easily continue to watch from the sidelines.
Amen

July 4th Tiny Prayer (for those who simply can’t celebrate this holiday):
May you send solidarity to those who are fighting for this country to own up to its massive failures and live up to its own promises, may you give gratitude to those who have poured their passion into the transformations that we now so often take for granted, and may you challenge yourself to continually exist in the sweet, generous spot between independence and interdependence, until collective freedom is not just a hopeful destination but an actively lived reality.
Amen

July 3rd Tiny Prayer (for those who are discovering way too many new things about themselves):
May you take these surprises, the attractive and the less attractive, and acknowledge that these fragments of your personality and history have always existed inside you, some flying more stealthily under your own radar than others, and may you invite yourself into a more intentional mode of self-reflection, nurturing the surprises that offer strength and healing and reshaping the surprises that conjure fear and anxiety, comforted by the fact that you are far from alone in this present mirror-gazing, that your individual self-excavation is important to a collective reckoning, and that your introspective discoveries are vital to the sustaining of this continuing communal revelation.
Amen

July 2nd Tiny Prayer (for those who just can’t understand how busy they feel):
May you remember that there is an added layer of stress and sadness to everything you are doing right now, that we are all confronting a maddening disconnect, even in the midst of our most mundane activities, that making daily decisions about masks, sheltering, safety, health, and an uncertain future is a full-time job (on top of all of our other work!), may we acknowledge that this added line to our job description is actually impossible to do well, since we’ve had no real training, and may this knowledge fill us with uncommon patience for one another, and especially for ourselves.
Amen

June 29th Tiny Prayer (for those who are having trouble speaking up):
May you reframe your own discomfort as a new kind of freedom, a breaking of societal tethers that have taught you that keeping the peace is the key to your own survival, that complaining quietly is the way to remain politic, and may you push yourself to listen closely for what is actually being demanded of you in each moment, find every oppressive crack where the raising of your voice is necessary, and connect your activating unease to every struggle for liberation, especially those you could conveniently, silently ignore.
Amen

June 28th Tiny Prayer (for the forequeers who have gotten us this far):
May you feel enveloped in gratitude today as we proudly honor the largest and smallest steps toward liberation, may you feel how deeply your fierce, scarred spirits move with and through us, may your voices join ours as we cry out that liberation is not complete until all can taste it, hold it, and share it, and may you bask in new possibility, as we take this communal passion to the streets, mixing our celebrations of progress with our memories of pain and our demands for continuing change, marching forward, nudging, stretching, and carrying this world into far queerer, more liberative tomorrows.
Amen

June 27th Tiny Prayer (for those who are holding too much inside):
May you remember that this near-bursting feeling is the steady growth of your empathy muscle, keeping you alive, keeping you transforming, keeping you committed to all other living beings, and when this seems overwhelming, when the pressure threatens to crack your own structure, may you remember that our individual task is never to seek to contain it on our own, but to open up and out, fusing with the tendons, muscles, and bones of everyone around us, until we together create larger, sturdier, more flexible systems to share the weight.
Amen

June 26th Tiny Prayer (for those who are occupying New York City Hall):
May your bodies be surrounded by safety and your spirits surrounded by solidarity, may your voices and demands be heard by those with the power to enact sweeping change, and may your prophetic witness teach us all to light fresh pathways to equity beyond our easy status quos, economic justice beyond our boring quick fixes, and reparative visions beyond our wildest human imaginings.
Amen

June 25th Tiny Prayer (for those who just don’t know where to start):
May you take a step toward humility today, seeking education, making a connection, asking a question, investigating a privilege, a bias, a given, an assumption, and may you be honest with yourself about the daunting reality of how much work there is to do, but may you also be honest with others about your need for collaboration, knowing that this work is not yours to do alone, and also knowing that this fact does not clear you of individual obligation, but rather demands your daily, active, evolving participation in the continuing co-creative work.
Amen

June 23rd Tiny Prayer (for the bubbles on our ballots):
May you be so filled with the ink of our pens that the hope we pour into you spills over, flowing out past the walls of our "privacy booths," connecting every heart, every hand, every vote, and may you become bubbles that do much more than register data, floating high enough to surprise, clinging one to another, modeling how to dance a Revolution, admitting fear of fragility, opening wider and wider, encircling us in bigger shapes, beyond what myopic human imaginations can conjure, reminding us that there is an “us” bubbling somewhere beneath it all, even, and especially, when we are partitioned off.
Amen

June 21st Tiny Prayer (for those who father in myriad ways):
May you continue to seek pathways to parenting that extend beyond the merely biological or patriarchal, embodying the fact that each of us is an ever-evolving combination of child and parent, gathering collective wisdom to pass down to the next generation and collective gratitude to pass up to those who have taught us how to grow, and may we all always seek and model mutuality over muscle, solidarity over stoicism, and co-creative community over cruel callousness.
Amen

June 20th Tiny Prayer (for residents of the Greenwood district):
May you be surrounded by safety and solidarity as you continue your Juneteenth festivities while blatant racism and danger gather right outside your community’s perimeter, and may the memory of the horrors that happened there a century ago mix with the images of this current brazen act of white supremacist gathering and remind us all that this country has so far to go, that we cannot even begin to address scars if we keep pouring salt into open wounds, and that reparations must be actively offered in order for repair to even be remotely possible.
Amen

June 19th Tiny Prayer (for a country confronting its history):
May you stay forever passionate about this dismantling, long after the news cycle stops covering it, long after the trend followers move on to other things, long after you have exited your comfort zone and entered a new life of transformative discomfort, and may you always remember that, once the spotlight shifts away, it is in the daily drudgery of the personal and the political that the deepest, realest work continues.
Amen

June 18th Tiny Prayer (for those who are having to change their minds):
May you generously examine evidence that is new to you, may you call yourself to continually witness the lived experiences of the oppressed, especially when they challenge the core givens you’ve always taken for granted, may you normalize the act of humble question-asking and honest self-interrogation, and may you never stop becoming a better version of yourself.
Amen

June 17th Tiny Prayer (for those who are still afraid to come out):
May you be lifted by the progress and protections shifting all around you and may you find the support you need to sustain this lift, recognizing that this kind of encouragement doesn’t always come from biological family, and knowing that, even with progress and protections, dangers still lurk, and may you find clear pathways to chosen family unfolding, beckoning for you to leave the isolating harm of the closet and to move confidently into the open air, trusting that there are countless others who know this journey well and who will lovingly travel right alongside you, following your own unique pace.
Amen

June 16th Tiny Prayer (for the Supreme Court of the United States):
May you feel the cries of celebration beaming your way today, not because you have handed us a gift, but because you have listened to collective wisdom and collective heart and combined both with your collective power to make change, and may you remember that you can always do this with every decision you make, and that we will absolutely be here to applaud you when you do and to challenge you when you need a reminder to pay attention to the more fabulous angels of your nature.
Amen

June 15th Tiny Prayer (for those who are entering difficult conversations):
May you remember that authenticity is not an attack, that perfection is not the point, that creating relationship is a constantly evolving act, and may you offer yourself wholly, listening for the pain inside what’s actually being said, feeling yourself not merely leaving your old assumptions behind, but actively, carefully co-creating something packed with honest-to-goodness possibility.
Amen

June 14th Tiny Prayer (for our Trans, GNC, and Non-Binary neighbors):
May you deeply know that you are nothing less than our brightest hopes for the future, and as the government challenges your rights, as celebrities malign your identities, as society both exoticizes and harms your bodies, as the mainstream media quickly moves past your stories and struggles, may you also deeply know that a growing chorus of us are committing to speaking up, calling out, and fighting like heaven to make sure that you are not only our brilliant future, but also seen, valued, celebrated, and protected now, here, in our slowly but steadily queering present.
Amen

June 13th Tiny Prayer (for those who are overwhelmed by the enormity of the work ahead):
May you tread this vast, deep whirlpool, feeling this movement buoyed by mutual aid, countless helpers lifting each task together, and if you are new to this fight, may you see what has been accomplished in just a matter of days, and if you have been fighting this fight for years, may you see the fruits of that commitment surging vibrantly to life, calling more and more souls to this communally supported churning, each gift of individual generosity pouring sustainability into these expanding waves of collaborative motion.
Amen

June 12th Tiny Prayer (for those who see change on the horizon):
May you take in this vision and know that your next step is to move from witness to testifier, from admirer to co-creator, from absorber to enactor, a shift that requires a thoughtful balance of speaking up about things that matter, breathing through things that don’t, questioning your own fragile assumptions, strengthening the muscles required to lift up the voices that challenge you, and actively becoming that change you see coming, instead of simply waiting for it to arrive.
Amen

June 11th Tiny Prayer (for those who are afraid of messing up):
May you take this fear and reshape it into thoughtful, generous intention, not worrying about getting anything perfect, but rather trusting a combination of your gut and those around you to tell you when you might listen instead of talk, when you might welcome education and invitation, and when you might let go of your ego and simply say, “I’m sorry. Let me try that again.”
Amen

June 10th Tiny Prayer (for those who are uncomfortable):
May you think back on each truly transformative moment of your life and remember that you were breathtakingly uneasy every time, may you hold these memories as the reactivating sustenance you need now, especially whenever you feel like quitting, going back into hiding, or clinging to chains of comfort, and may you listen closely to the pangs, appreciating each as a very necessary step toward a new kind of freedom, for all and for you.
Amen

June 9th Tiny Prayer (for those who are waking up):
May you trust this bright, shining feeling and share it eagerly with others, especially those who are still aching to get up and those who are actively rolling over and going back to sleep, and may you deeply appreciate that your most important imperative now is not to proudly hold your own healthily lit wick high and out of reach, but to offer it forward to light the wicks that are struggling to catch fire themselves.
Amen

June 8th Tiny Prayer (for the Minneapolis City Council):
May your active witness be a model for all cities, calling each to realize how powerfully simple a first step can be when those with power listen to those with imagination, may you stay firm to your vote, especially as it is challenged by those with no vision, and may your example push us all to continue to broaden our own imaginations, until the power of the racist, historical status quo gives way to a sweeping, creativity-fueled, prophetic reshaping of community support, sustenance, and safety for all.
Amen

June 7th Tiny Prayer (for those who are feeling galvanized):
May you take this shot of hopeful adrenaline and, as you use most of it to fuel your energetic participation in this moment, may you also preserve some of it in the deepest part of your heart, remembering that this high will probably also give way to moments of individual and collective discouragement, and that it is in those low moments that you will need to go to your reserves, take that bit of hope you’ve saved, remember that this is a movement, not just a collection of moments, refuel, and keep moving.
Amen

June 6th Tiny Prayer (for those who are listening):
May you realize that this is just the next step of a never-ending process, that this will always be about continuing hygiene, that these current reforms to public policy, to cruel systems, to centuries of brutality are only the next wave of a necessary sea change, and may you know that you can weather this sea by continuing to listen, continuing to act, continuing to swim here in these uncomfortable waters, inviting more and more people deeper in, especially when the masses try to head back to the comfortable shore too early.
Amen

June 5th Tiny Prayer (for Breonna Taylor, fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers on March 13, 2020):
Thank you for your spirit and service, for the help you brought to the world and the dedication you brought to that work, and on this, what would have been your twenty-seventh birthday, as we highlight and hashtag names, may we always remember your life, may we condemn the systemic, racist violence that ended it, may we demand accountability from those who stole it, and may we commit ourselves to never forgetting and loudly celebrating the contributions and courage of Black women, not only after their deaths, but while they live and lead us.
Amen

June 4th Tiny Prayer (for George Floyd, killed by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020):
Thank you for the loving life you lived and for the leadership you modeled, truths that will be celebrated as memorials for your life begin today, and may these memorials continue to underline the fact that you were born to live, not to simply be a hashtag, that you were born to breathe, not to simply be a symbol, that the racist systems of this country have stolen your life and forced you into this hashtag-symbol status, and that we must not simply memorialize, but do the work, until all Black lives can live and breathe freely, and there are no more needs for hashtags or symbols.
Amen

June 3rd Tiny Prayer (for those who are glued to their screens and/or the streets):
May you make plans to regularly step away for several moments a day, knowing that the news is out there, that the fight is out there, that the sustaining of a movement is bigger than you, that it requires you to take care of your body and soul, which means breathing into the horrors you already know, taking a break from ingesting more, and trusting your communities to continually balance the work, staggering participation so that the collective spirit moves, even during the moments when you are at necessary rest.
Amen

June 2nd Tiny Prayer (for queer folks):
May you center your pride in the truth that the foundation of our community’s liberation was birthed by the fed-up strength of Trans* women of color, may that centering demand that we each come out, again and again, against white supremacy and colonization, against state-sanctioned brutality, against our own tendencies to assimilate and co-opt, and may we all continue to fly our mutual aid freak flags long past any government-issued curfew and long past June.
Amen

June 1st Tiny Prayer (for injured protesters):
May your wounds heal and your bodies rest, may you feel the solidarity and gratitude of so many surrounding you as you restore yourself to fight again, may this country open its collective heart to see the true root of the violence, the true source of the stress, the festering sores that white supremacist power continually salts, and may we bear witness to these injuries, naming them loudly before we rush to cover them with our same old tired, ineffectual Band-aids.
Amen

May 31st Tiny Prayer (for those who don’t feel well or strong enough to be protesting in the streets):
May you remember that there are many ways to contribute to a movement, that this pandemic has taught us that we can connect, support, and make change even when we can’t be in the physical spaces we wish to be inhabiting, and that all of us are needed, no matter where we are, because this is a deep dismantling of centuries of oppression, requiring a commitment that must last far longer than any quarantine.
Amen

May 30th Tiny Prayer (for bus drivers who are refusing to transport protesters to precincts):
May your modeling of unmovable solidarity move us all, may we all witness the powerful potential of refusing to offer our services and loyalties to the very power structures that rampantly run over the most powerless, and may this country, at long last, do the work we must do in order to choose a different destination.
Amen

May 29th Tiny Prayer (for those who are protesting):
May your cries dig painfully into each of our hearts until we are all dragged out of our own quiet, and may your act of doing something generative with your rage compel us all to do something generative with our rage, while always listening most deeply to those most suffocated by violent, systematized oppression, and showing up in every way possible, through amplification, education, association, and donations.
Amen


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