I like using nature, geometry, architecture, everyday objects,…whatever is in view as templates for my prayers. The only problem is my inability to draw what I see. I modeled the prayer below from the rose windows at the Archabbey Church at St. Meinrad in Indiana. I taped an 18″ x 24″ piece of paper on the wall of my room and proceeded to draw. What emerged looked more like a mutant dragonfly. I’m a little embarrassed by my below average skills in art realism. But, “Hey,” I remind myself, “this is not about art; it’s about prayer. Go with the mutant dragonfly.” So I let it be.

My artist friends tell me that drawing is more about seeing than the skill of the hand. There’s probably a lesson for me about looking and watching with more care.

Here is the dragonfly prayer and a real rose window.