June Cotner is a bestselling author, anthologist, and speaker. Collectively, her books have sold nearly one million copies. She resides in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two senior dogs. In this salutary collection of prayers, poems, and prose gathered from her 700-plus regular contributors and others, Cotner shares good medicine designed to calm us down and provide the uplift of spirit that so many people are yearning for during these hard times of insecurity and uncertainty.
The material is divided into sections on Serenity, Faith, Courage and Hope, Relaxation, Reflections, Joy and Gratitude, Prayers, and Inspiration. Cotner came up with this question for each passage in the book: "Does this selection make me feel more serene, open doors to faith and courage, offer a needed perspective, or help me feel more joy and gratitude?" Here are a few of our favorites that meet the criteria set by the author:
Welcoming Angels
In the arduous simplicity of this moment
I open my heart, mind, and soul to stillness
In the deeper quiet
I sense the greater Life that is my life.
I do not live only; I am lived.
I do not breathe only; I am breathed.
I am not only the one I appear to be
but also the One who appears as me.
— Rabbi Rami Shapiro
An Ordinary Day
It was so simple. So average . . . how could he find perfection in such an ordinary day . . . I realized this was the whole point.
— Mitch Albom
Be Still
In the rush and noise of life, as you have
intervals, step within yourself and be still.
Wait upon God and feel his good presence;
this will carry you through your day's business.
— William Penn
