When your spiritual intellect longs for God so deeply that little by little it loses interest in material things and turns away from all thoughts rooted in sensory perception, or those that rise from our temperament or our memories, and at the same time becomes more and more filled with a sense of reverence and joy, then know that you have drawn near to the threshold of prayer. (Evagrios of Pontus)

For several years - I am not sure when it began - I have read the daily meditation and psalm assigned by Forward Day by Day. On September 17 four years ago I began writing a daily meditation online.

I have not yet lost interest in material things. But little by little I have changed. My sense of relationship with God has grown. My sense of anxiety is less. I am not sure about reverence. But there is certainly joy.

Reading the daily meditation and writing another meditation is the first thing I do each morning. It is a wonderful way to begin. On most days with my first flicker of wakefulness I bound from bed, excited to see what will be found.

But according to Evagrios, I am barely on the threshold of prayer, perhaps still short of the threshold. If this is the experience in so short of time and with such modest effort, what wonders might come from fully entering a place of true prayer?

Dear God, thank you for bringing me to the pathway of prayer.