A Prayer For The New Year


God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see others' faults through the eyes of You.
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult. . . nor the young.

Give us patience and grace to endure,
And a stronger faith so we feel secure.
And instead of remembering, help us forget,
The irritations that caused us to fret.

Freely forgiving for some offense,
And finding each day a rich recompense.
In offering a friendly, helping hand,
And trying in all ways to understand.

That all of us whoever we are,
Are trying to reach an unreachable star.

For the great and small . . . the good and bad,
The young and old . . . the sad and glad,
Are asking today, "Is life worth living?",
And the answer is only in loving and giving.

For only love can make man kind,
And kindness of heart brings peace of mind.
And by giving love we can start this year,
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.

by Helen Steiner Rice



The most beautiful discovery
true friends can make
Is that they grow separately...
without growing apart.