{"id":4886,"date":"2012-10-29T00:35:38","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T07:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/?p=4886"},"modified":"2012-10-29T00:35:38","modified_gmt":"2012-10-29T07:35:38","slug":"a-prayer-and-a-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/2012\/10\/29\/a-prayer-and-a-response\/","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer and a Response"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>The solitary beach inviting lots of conversations heavenward.<\/h6>\n

Here’s a risk, talking to you this way. But why not? Lately we were in Baja California for an art-making trip. It was a great venue and a great\u00a0experience (some of which I’ll share on the next e-gallery<\/em>). But for the first three days, nothing was coming. After several aborted attempts at something new, and several long walks on the beach, I wrote the following prayer. Then, in an attitude of expecting an answer, I wrote what came back to me. Both are recorded below. They’re very personal, but then, I am a person. And they are very blunt, but God already knows my thoughts so I might as well voice them. Take them\u2013the prayer and the answer\u2013for what they’re worth. (They were worth a lot to me.)<\/p>\n

Lord, Hi,
\nIt was great gleaning insights of you on earth in today’s reading . . . a high point of the day. And an enjoyable day, overall. But the painting is not going well. It’s acrylic, not oil, for the trip. Anne says she’s not doing as well as hoped either. I’ve appealed to you. Apparently you don’t care. These things are not the important things. But then, when they are important, you’re just as not there. So, all this is just practice in disappointment. Sorry. But what should we do? We’ve prayed. We’ve worked. We’ve thought, talked, taken breaks, looked at the work of others. Everything in this place and\u00a0time\u00a0is right. And, at least for me, I don’t have any anxiety about having to perform. If it doesn’t come, so be it. Yet, I’m asking, and have asked. What do you have to say, if anything?
\nHyatt<\/p>\n

Hyatt,
\nBe at peace. Since when is creation easy? You’re getting back exactly what you’re putting in. You’re not working . . . not really. You think it’s deftness that does it, and luck. It’s not automatic writing<\/em>. Think! Work to make one good piece. Don’t think about production. Go slow. It’s the way to quality. Make one good piece.
\nLove,
\nYour Father<\/p>\n

Happily, the next day new work began to flow and, before we left, I’d produced ten pieces and Anne finished 20 . . . with more “give and take” prayers following. All heartening. We’re grateful.<\/p>\n

Again, see “e-gallery,” coming Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s a brief correspondence with God, personal, but with at least me not minding your reading. Actually I think He likes hearing from any of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4886"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4886"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4905,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4886\/revisions\/4905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}