This is a from of prayer,
sometimes called the Examen,
that has been practiced in the West for many centuries.

Take a few minutes of quiet time
to look back
over the past twenty-four hours.

Does anything arise in your memory?
Maybe something especially good happened
or something unpleasant that disturbed you.

Just notice these things.
Don't make any judgments.

Our reactions to what happens
can help us see
what is leading us closer
to our true center in God,
and what is pulling us
further away from that true center.

What do your feelings show you?
What happened today
to draw you closer to God?
Did anything leave you
feeling less centered, more fragmented?

Notice what makes you feel
more alive, more at one
with other people, and all creation,
more "whole",
and nourish these parts of your life.

Notice what tends to deaden you,
alienate you from others,
or make you self-absorbed.

Just noticing these things
will help you to work against them.

What we nourish,
by giving it our attention and our energy,
will grow.

What we leave aside,
depriving it of our attention and our energy,
will shrink.

Which parts of your life do you want to grow?
How are you nourishing that growth?

Try to find one thing that has given you joy.
Thank God especially for that thing.

Try to find one aspect of the day that you feel proud of.
Honor that moment — your gifts are from God.
To honor them and to use them
is to honor God and serve God's creation.

End your prayer
by entrusting tomorrow
to the One who gave you today.

Margaret Silf in The Gift of Prayer