Prayer in Motion
by Starcat

It was time to leave for the long-awaited and planned-for backpacking trip, and Percy had gone missing. Percy is my sweet yellow one-year-old cat, and in my way of being, cats are truly members of the family. I was worried about him. But my daughter and I set off for our trip as planned, trusting Percy would show up soon. He’d been away for a day or so before, after all.

We were out of touch for a day or so, but as we backpacked further into the mountains, my cell phone suddenly came to life with a “ding.” Since I had signal, I called home to check in. This was now three full days since Percy had been last seen, but there was still no sign of him. We arrived at our base camp and decided on an afternoon hike to some caves we wanted to explore.

At first I was quiet and feeling sad. But as I walked, a chant came into my mind, and I let it flow through my psyche while I clambered over boulders and up and down slopes. I began to experience the sacredness of the area more strongly and suddenly I remembered that I could pray for Percy’s safe return.

My prayer became part of my moving meditation. I silently inhaled “please” and exhaled “thank you” as I hiked. I thanked the rocks I walked over and the trees who helped me keep my balance. I was filled with gratitude. The message I received was to “keep the faith.” By the time we got to the amazing caves, I was feeling better and was able to experience a sense of wonder about the gorgeous place we were in. On the way back to our lean-to, one of my hiking companions mentioned that the area we were hiking that day was named for a Native American god.

That night, I felt a bit of worry about Percy, but once more turned my thoughts around. I fell asleep with “please” as the prayer on my lips. In the morning when I woke, I turned on my phone and found a text message. It read “Percy is home!” I was again filled with gratitude and an added sense of joy. My prayer was answered! Was that the only reason he came back safely? It doesn’t matter. I kept the faith and used my energy to connect with the Divine and turn my mood around. And Percy returned, that very same night.