splash of a raindrop:A thing of beauty that disappears as it comes into being.
Therefore, set your goal.
—Buddhist Prayer
47
Listen to the Wisdom of Your Own Heart
Turn within and seek the wisdom of your higher self. It is able to speak to us from the combined wisdom of our heart, mind, and spirit.
—Madisyn Taylor
48
Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
This is the beginning of a new day.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something for which I have traded it.
I want it to be a gain, not a loss;
good, not evil;
success, not failure—
in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it today.
—Author Unknown
49
Cover Our Earth with Flowers
Cover my earth mother four times with many flowers.
Let the heavens be covered with the banked-up clouds.
Let the earth be covered with fog;
cover the earth with rains.
Great waters, rains, cover the earth.
Lightning cover the earth.
Let thunder be heard over the earth;
let thunder be heard;
Let thunder be heard over the six regions of the earth.
—Native American Chant
50
Love and Miracles
Let me always insist on miracles to
celebrate love.
And when all I love on earth
lies lifeless in my arms
let me offer it to you with such freedom of heart
That I am swept up into the heavens. Amen.
—Mary Lou Kownacki
51
Water Is Life
We travel your powerful currents
to meet our relations.
We flood our rice fields.
We bathe our children.
We cleanse the dead.
We baptize, we purify, we do ablutions,
We immerse in the mikvah.
We heal with you—Holy Water.
We remember to protect you.
We remember to protect you.
We remember to protect you.
We remember to protect you.
—Water Protection for Women
52
A Message to Take to God
Saint Therese, the little flower,
Please pick me,
A rose from the heavenly garden,
And send it to me
With a message of love.
Ask God to grant me
The favor I thee implore
And tell him I will love him
Each day more and more.
—Prayer of Petition to Saint Therese of Lemieux
53
Believe in the Human Spirit
We pray for an end to cruelty,
whether to humans or other animals,
for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving
and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.
We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us,
and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation,
and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.
—Dr. Jane Goodall
54
We Are All One
We light the light of a new idea.
It is the light of our coming together.
It is the light of our growing;
to know new things,
to see new beauty,
to feel new love.
—Unitarian Invocation
55
Truth, Life, and Love
Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me, and
rule out of me all sin;
and may
