One of my goals for my year with Mercy Volunteer Corp was to try new things. While I have experienced many new places, people, and activities one stands out so far. As part of our orientation, we learned what is to me, a very new definition of prayer. When I used to think of prayer all that came to mind was kneeling and saying the Rosary or another more traditional prayer. As we learned more about what other activities may fall under the definition of prayer I got more excited for our spirituality nights. One of the most important parts of these spirituality nights is the mindset going into it and during it. That can be just as important as the activity itself. 

As one of our spirituality nights, our community decided to paint quotes. This experience was one of the most fun I have had doing art in quite a long time. I am by no means an artist and my painting shows that, but the experience of thinking through what was an important enough quote to paint and spending so much time drawing made the experience more special. The painting doesn’t look great or how I wanted it to turn out, but the quote means something to me and when I look at it I am reminded about who it is I want to be. It is a representation of what I want the future to look like and be about. The author of the quote has also been very instrumental in helping me understand more about the Bible and come to a deeper connection with the meanings of several verses. 

This experience has helped me to think more deeply about what it means to live for God. It has also made me think more about what it means to pray and to feel a connection with God. I am hopeful that I will be able to make more quote paintings in the future, and maybe even make them look a bit better. 

Travis Perkins: Cincinnati, Ohio