Praying When There's No Time to Pray
My interest in Celtic prayer came at a critical junction in my own spiritual journey. I had just begun to discover the great contemplative writers of the Christian tradition. I loved the call to "be still and know" and the experience of God's presence in silence and solitude. I looked forward to morning meditations and times of retreats. All this changed, however, when I found myself the mother of two young sons and the coordinator of religious education at our local church. When I'd rise early for prayer, little feet would come running in for breakfast. When I'd arrive early at work for a time of reflection, the telephone would start to ring. Like most people I tended to separate my prayer life from the other parts of my life. I was very far from the wisdom of Thomas Merton who said, "What I do is live.
How I pray is breathe."

It was in this time of struggle and imbalance that a friend offered me a small book of Celtic prayers and praises. There was something in the rhythm of these prayers that reminded me of the rhythm of life. They contain an awareness of God's presence from the rising to the setting of the sun. Entwined with the reality of living, each action of the day becomes the essence of prayer. The transcendent
Holy One is a close companion as one prays:

God to enfold me
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking
God in my sleeping
God in my waking

--from "Celtic Prayer: Recognizing God's Presence in our Every Experience"
by Sylvia Maddox