A friend told me that she could never visualize things in her mind. I said, “If I say ‘red,’ don’t you see red in your mind?” “No,” she replied. “What if I said, ‘house’? Can you see a house?” “No. Nothing.” That day I learned to appreciate another gift if have: the ability to picture images of things in my head. We can make use of that gift to draw up memories, to make plans, and the following. . . .

If you are like me, sometimes you zip through prayers without realizing what you are saying to God. I wonder what he thinks about that! Here is a tip to bring the words of prayers to life: picture them as you say them. Today’s morning prayer included a canticle from the book of Daniel. Here are visual images to accompany some of the verses:

Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.

Son and moon, bless the Lord.

Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.

All you winds, bless the Lord.

Fire and heat, bless the Lord.

Cold and chill, bless the Lord.

Dew and rain bless the Lord.

Frost and chill, bless the Lord.

Ice and snow, bless the Lord.

Nights and days, bless the Lord.

Light and darkness, bless the Lord.

Lightnings and clouds bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.

Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.

Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.

You springs, bless the Lord.

Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.

You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.

All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.

All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.

• Try this way of praying and let me know how it works for you.