Nonetheless, it was interesting to read the book (perhaps for a second time) and reminiscing about some of the prayers that I either said and/or heard a lot while growing up. Others were new ones that were written by the author.
This was a familiar prayer. I remember saying it nightly. I had a little angel that glowed in the dark that was on my shelf on top of my dresser. It provided a sense of comfort after I said the prayer.
Now I lay me own to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
I like this prayer for its simplicity and something that I could say at the beginning of each day.
May love and strength be in my hands
May love and courage be in my heart
May love and wisdom be in my mind
May love be with you and work through me today
And in all my days.
I like the thought of doing this - even as an adult. With so much negativity and violence in today's world, this would be good to remember to do:
When he was a little boy, Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)...would go to a theater to see a film in those days. The feature would be preceded by a cartoon and then a newsreel, which, Mmr. Rogers reports, was usually pretty awful. During one particularly heartrending newsreel, Mr. Rogers's mother leaned over to her son, "Look for the helpers." Lo and behold, in the midst of whatever mayhem was unfolding, little Fred would always be able to find someone - a firefighter, an ambulance driver, a passerby - trying to help.
This is a short prayer the author says when she sees an ambulance or other emergency vehicle:
God grant courage to those who suffer;
Strength and peace to those who help.
I found this interesting:
Human beings share about 98 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees, and biologist Jared Diamond has claimed that Homo sapiens should really be classified as a species of chimpanzee, given that we are closer in our DNA to chimps (whether Pan troglodytes or Pan paniscus, the Bonobo) than a horse is to a zebra or, indeed, than an African elephant is to an Indian elephant.
Something to keep in mind regarding your attitude:
What you think becomes what you feel, and your feelings flow from your body as magnetic energy waves that travel over vast distances, somehow causing the universe around you to vibrate at exactly the same level or energy as your feelings.
I thought this would be a fun game to try with others to see what they say:
Q: If you were a domestic animal, what kind of domestic animal would you be?
A: ___________________________
Q: Why?
A: Because _______________________s are ________________ and ________________.
Q: Okay, if you were a wild animal, what kind would you be?
A: ___________________________
Q: Why?
A: Because _______________________s are ________________ and ________________.
The domestic animal represents the way you think other people see you. The wild animal is how you see yourself.
I like this simple prayer to be said before a meal:
We are thankful for the food
And for the hands that prepared it
And for the our family and for our friends.
Amen.
This is the prayer that my parents and us kids would say before each meal when I was growing up. My parents would say it until they died (or, in the case of my Dad, until he was no longer able to remember it due to Alzheimer's Disease):
Bless us, O Lord and these thy gifts
Which are about to receive from Thy bounty
Through Christ our Lord
Amen.
This is another nice thing to say or think before a meal:
For the food before us
And the friends beside us
And the love that surrounds us
We are truly grateful.
When I read the prayer below, it reminded me of going to Camp Lockslea and other Girl Scout camps and singing this song before a meal:
Oh! The Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me
The things I need
The sun and the moon and the apple tree
The Lord is good to me.
I've heard pastors at church say this prayer:
May the Lord bless and keep you
May the Lord make His Face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you
And give you peace.
When I read this prayer, I could hear the lyrics to the song. It brought me right back to being a child and hearing my Dad play this song on his record player. He really liked this song:
Day by day, dear Lord,
These things I pray...
To see Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
And to follow Thee more nearly,
Day by day.
This was noted as a Parent's Prayer in the book. I like the message of it and wouldn't hesitate to say or write it to Sophia and Olivia:
May you comport yourselves with dignity and treat others and yourselves with kindness.
May you remember to say "I'm sorry" when it counts;
And "I love you" when it's hard to say, and therefore matters most.
May you both express and experience thankfulness.
May this be a life of courage, kindness, and honor. May it be a life of joy.
Amen.
Hearing The Lord's Prayer was something familiar that I heard and would say at church each Sunday. My parents expected that my sister, brother, and I would go to church. We did until I was 15 years old when I stopped going. It hurt them deeply that I no longer wanted to go to their church, yet I didn't feel a connection to the church and all of its beliefs.
Our Father, who are in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever. Amen.
One final prayer that I liked in Beginner's Grace follows:
May God bless and protect me
May God smile on me and smile through me
May God befriend me and let me be a better friend
May God make me peaceful and a maker of peace.
Amen.
I enjoyed reading this book and am happy to have a collection of prayers now that represent memories from childhood to ones that fit my life right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment