Who knew that my Sunday column on prayer — and how lame I am at it — would get so much response? And not just from friends at church, but from total strangers, and acquaintances who rarely read my column, much less tell me about it. Funny, too, that writing about prayer feels much more out there than a lot of other intimate subjects I tackle.

And since I’ve been so slow in posting this column, or much of anything else these days (why? see the December issue of skirt! in boxes and racks around town; click here for a list of distribution points), have a look below for some e-mailed comments, and add your own. How has prayer changed your life?

Hi Leanne: I tried to register on your webite, but had problems.  I just wanted to give you some feedback on your 12/02/07 column on prayer.  I recommend you glance at the Letters to the Editor section of the C.A. of the same date and note the religious tensions.  Your article, though seemingly very touching,  underscores  a fundamental problem with humanity.  We just can’t come to grips with reality!   I don’t know what you really think to be true, but I hope you can differentiate an internal monologue (talking to yourself) with an appeal to some diety that will listen to your thoughts.  Repeating thoughts internally may provide a sense of well-being, but it doesn’t mean some diety did anything at all.  I trust you’re not grasping at centuries-old myths to explain the unexplainable, as science continues to explain it.  The role of gods just keep getting smaller and smaller as our knowledge increases. So, let’s call the kettle black!  Referring to mystical beings and ”answers to prayers” takes society back to the Dark Ages and sets the stage for exactly the kind of exchanges found in the Letters section.  Contrary to the conclusion in your article, prayer does not always bring peace.  The Middle East and 9/11 provide plenty of evidence of that.  Let’s work (not pray) at preventing a similiar situation in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Please reflect on the need for rational thoughts and discourse in today’s modern society.   We can’t afford to establish an atmosphere that fosters the End Times, imaginary Virgins, or prophets.  

I do applaud the Science section of your website!

 Dear Leanne,
      I grew up with a blind father and I don’t relish the darkness for long at a time. I seek color and light. I have been in a very dark place for some time, lately. Prayer has been my rudder in a dark and stormy sea.  I have been dealing with care of my 91 year old mother, a 5 year old grandson, whose mother works and whose father is headed to Iraq, my husbands health issues and  looming retirement, the deception of a long time trusted employee and the financial aftermath and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed physically, mentally and spiritually.  

There is no time or energy for reading, writing, acting, volunteering or any of the other many things that energize me and add excitement to my life. I have prayed bringing everything to the table of the one who knows me best.
I keep a prayer journal as a road map to the grace God has shown me. I believe the best predictor of future grace is past grace.
This is a prayer of recent weeks and the poem I wrote to accompany it.
If  God were to ask me, “Where is your faith?” I’d have had to reply, “It’s under the stone from your son’s tomb. And only you can remove spiritual stones.”

Ms. Kleinmann:

I came upon your story in a forwarded email from a cyber friend of mine and I am so glad I did.  I became a widower on March 30, 2007 and just 26 days before that I became involved with a church, really for the first time in my life, and now am a baptized member.  The story of how I became involved is still told in my church I guess because they find it worth repeating.  I, too, am not a good prayer but I do the best I can and talk with God all the time and, yes, it does help and in so many ways I could not enumerate them for you.

Just wanted you to know that I greatly enjoyed your story, I don’t have one like that to tell but, as always, we shall see.