O Dear One, we strain forward to meet you now in the silence of prayer; we press ahead, reaching for you, and as we do we notice those things that create the tension we feel between us and you. A bit at a time we let go of them, like small branches blown into the air by your holy spirit wind. A bit at a time we let go of the grudges and griefs we have frozen in our souls. O Lord, blow free any bitterness against others and against ourselves. Blow free our vanities of appearance and style. Blow loose our expectations that others ought always to give us what we think we deserve. Open us to the spirit that blows where you will, through places and people we cannot predict. Amen!