Prayer for Our Children
From Illuminata: A Return to Prayer by Marianne Williamson
Read by Peggy Combs
Dear God,
There are no words for the depth of my love for this child.
I pray for her care and her protection.
I surrender her into Your hands.
Please, dear God, send Your angels to bless and surround her always.
May she be protected from the darkness of our times.
May she always see You at the center of her life.
May her heart grow strong.
To love You and serve You.
I surrender, dear God, my parenthood to You.
Make me the parent You want me to be.
Show me how to love most patiently, to be there for her most fully,
To understand profoundly who she is and what she needs.
May this family be a blessing unto her now and forever.
May she learn here values and principles of love and righteousness.
May she learn from me kindness.
May she learn from me strength.
May she learn from me the lessons of power;
That she has it and Must surrender it to You,
to be used for Your purposes throughout her life.
For thus shall You be gladdened,
And thus shall be free,
To live most fully and love most deeply,
That is my wish.
That is my prayer for her and for me forever.
Amen
If God Came to New Mexico, This is What He Might Say
Written and Read by Peggy Combs
First and foremost, that child that you call “your child” is in truth “my child;” just as you are my child—she is my ultimate creation. I gave her to you because only you can offer the love and protection this child needs.
You might ask me “why” and my response would be “why not?”
Why not put this special child with a parent who understands that being unable to tie your shoes has absolutely no importance in the overall scheme of things—(hence Velcro), but yet when your 17-year old ties her shoes for the very first time, you understand the need for a party.
Why not put this child with a Mom who understands that when she hangs up on you, it is not an act of disrespect—it’s as simple as her way of ending a phone call. But yet, when she makes a simple call to say “I love you Mom”—you save the message in your voicemail forever.
I gave you this child because only you have the ability to laugh and cry at the same time, usually for the same reason, and you understand that if you don’t laugh, you might just die some days.
I gave her to you because you have the special ruler to measure true success. You understand the successes are measured by miles, and failures are merely inches.
I gave her to you, since only you would see the humor when you tell your child not to knock on the bedroom door, so instead she calls you from the living room. Only you would understand that she followed directions and praise her for doing so.
If God came to New Mexico, He might tell you that only you know that your child’s success isn’t about what college they attend, how many degrees they have, or how much money they make—that success is about the ability to love—the ability to want to help others; our child’s success is measured by the happiness in their hearts.
If God came to New Mexico, He might say I know the world is not perfect—and only you can protect your child from the hurtful comments of other children—only you can teach your child that being different is ok.
You are this child’s parent because only you would have the courage to apologize to your child for their brain damage caused by your drinking alcohol while pregnant—and only you would understand the sincerity of that sweet smile when they said “That’s ok , Mom—I still love you.”
If God came to New Mexico, He might tell us that we were chosen for our compassion: he would tell us we will be judged by others for drinking during pregnancy, but that’s no big deal to us—we have judged ourselves for years. And only you would pray that those who judge would learn compassion some day.
If God came to New Mexico, He might say that the expression “God willing and the creek don’t rise” was created just for us. Only we understand that when we are invited somewhere and when asked if we will attend—the answer is always the same— “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” “Only we KNOW that it means “God willing and Tracy doesn’t have a meltdown.”
If God came to New Mexico—He would tell you things are exactly the way they are supposed to be—you are the perfect parent for this imperfect child. That you are perfect for each other, because only you have the ability to look into your child’s eyes and see true perfection.
If God came to New Mexico, He would say—Enjoy your stay; feed off of each other; re-energize; re-connect and restore your soul. You deserve the break and when you get back home, EVERYTHING will be waiting for you.
If God came to New Mexico he would say—I did good! Thank you for taking care of my creation—that is why I chose you!
Prayer for Service to Mankind by Baha’u’llah
Read by Naomi Michalsen
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walks in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.
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