Labor Day Prayer

Dear God,
As we celebrate this last holiday weekend of summer, fill us with your joy. We know that you are the warmth we feel in our hearts as we gather with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We know that you are the life that fills the wonderful food that we eat and the beautiful flowers that we see. We also know that your peace fills those quiet moments when we can just be, giving our concerns a vacation for a little while.

This Labor Day we ask you to renew our country. Help all those who want to work to find work that allows them to make at least a living wage and to have a sense of purpose. Lift up this country so that it will again be considered a land of opportunity. A-men.

Labor Day Blessing

May you always be able to find work when you want it. 

May you easily be able to make a living wage. 

May you be treated with honesty, fairness, and respect. 

May you work in a safe and healthy environment. 

May your work give you a sense of purpose.

Prayer for Somalia

Dear God,
Please be with the people of Somalia today. Send your power so that relief comes to them quickly and easily. Supply them with more than enough food to sustain their bodies. Fill them with your life so that they can be healthy, strong, and thrive. Spread your protection over them so that they can be safe. Spread your love over them so that they can feel hope. Spread your comfort over them so that their hearts can heal.

Please be with those of us around the world who watch, sometimes feeling helpless. Guide us to know how best to help.

Lastly be with the leaders of government and business, with scientists and entrepreneurs, and with others who can be agents for positive change in the world. Help them to make decisions from a place of wisdom and compassion. As the climate of our planet changes, guide them in creating a world where all people can be safe and healthy. A-men.

Prayer London Riots and Recent Mob Violence

This morning when I checked the news, I read a disturbing story about the riots in London. On a smaller scale—if a hundred people can be considered a small scale—we had mob violence in my community, here in the United States, this weekend. I realize that this has been going on elsewhere in the world for a long time. Somehow it is feels different when it is one’s own community. Here is a prayer for all of us: those in London, in US cities, and elsewhere in the world.

Dear God,

Please spread your protection around those in London and in other cities that have been experiencing mob violence. Send your healing power to diffuse the tension and the anger. Fill the hearts of those who would behave violently with your love and peace. Send your strength, courage, and wisdom to the police forces and community leaders. Lastly, send your guidance to help create long-term solutions that help eliminate the root causes of the recent violence. A-men.

The Blessing of Patience (Others)

May you be blessed with patience as you interact with others.

May you experience a calm, peaceful center within yourself that nothing can disturb.

May you let go of the way things are supposed to be and accept things as they are.

May you be Divinely guided when to act and when to focus on helping yourself feel more tranquil.

May you find wonderful, even surprising ways to amuse yourself or enrich your life while you wait in line or are put on hold.

May you feel yourself infused with feelings of compassion when you deal with children, the elderly, overextended clerks and waitress, and others who are struggling.

May you find serenity in allowing events to unfold in their perfect time.

The Blessing of Patience (Self)

May you be patient with yourself.
May you accept where you are on your life’s journey, regardless of whether or not you plan to make any changes.
May you give up any need to be perfect, appreciating what you have accomplished.
May you surrender any need to compare your progress with that of others.
May you recognize that when you try something new you will make mistakes, especially at first, and that it is part of the process. May you gently and firmly encourage yourself to keep trying.
May you understand that everyone, even you, has off days.
May you be tolerant of yourself if aging, disability, illness, or injury prevents you from doing things as well or as quickly as you might like.
May you be as gentle and kind to yourself as you are to the most precious person in your life.

The Blessing of Sleep

I have had insomnia lately, averaging less than five hours of sleep when I need at least seven. The problem is a combination of high humidity and old memories being stirred up. Here is a blessing for all of us who wish for a good night sleep.

I wish you the blessing of a good night’s sleep.
May your responsibilities still allow you plenty of time to dedicate to rejuvenating rest.
May you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
May your dreams be filled with peace and inspiration.
May you sleep soundly throughout the night.
May you wake up the next morning full of energy and joy.