Something happens when life changes suddenly. Life looks different than it used to. Values change; conversations change; perspectives shift. We use our time differently. People become much more precious to us than possessions. Ordinary moments become charged with significance and with the energy of eternity. Prayer weaves its way into this tapestry, creating moments of reflection and gratitude. Prayer becomes a spiritual velcro to which other things stick. What seems to be a loss on one level gets transformed into gain on another level. Prayer enables us to see every moment as a gift and as an occasion to be cherished.

(Steve Harper, Talking in the Dark, p. 84)