BLESSINGS

And then all that has divided us will merge
And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle
And then both men and women will be strong
And then no person will be subject to another's will
And then all will be rich and free and varied
And then the greed of some will give way to the need of many
And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance
And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young
And then all will cherish life's creatures
And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.

JUDY CHICAGO

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

And you child, will be called the prophet of the most high;
for you will go before the Lord
To prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
When the day shall dawn upon us from on high.
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.

LUKE 1: 76-79

This we know, All things are connected,
Like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the sons of the Earth.
Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand on it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

CHIEF SEATTLE OF THE DWAMISH TRIBE

Remember thy Lord within thyself humbly and with awe,
below thy breath, at morn and evening.
And in the nighttime, also hymn his praise at the setting of the stars.

THE KORAN

To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue.
They are Gravity, Generosity of soul, Sincerity, Earnestness, and Kindness.

CONFUCIUS

The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In rulings, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing.
No Fight, No Blame.

LAO TSE

He who blessed our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
May He bless the Bar Mitzvah Boy and the Bat Mitzvah Girl,
who have come up to honor God and the Torah.
May the Holy One, Blessed be He, protect and deliver Him and Her from all distress and illness,
and bless all Her and His efforts with success among all Israel their brethren;
and let us say, Amen.

BAR/BAT MITZVAH

Sun, Moon, Stars,
You that move in the Heavens,
Hear this Mother!
A new life has come among You.
Make its path smooth that it may reach
The brow of the First Hill.

Winds, Clouds, Rain, Mist,
All that move in the air,
Hear this Mother!
A new life has come among You.
Make its path smooth that it may reach
The brow of the Second Hill.

Hills, Valleys, Rivers, Lakes, Trees, Grasses,
All of the Earth,
Hear this Mother!
A new life has come among You.
Make its path smooth that it may reach
The brow of the Third Hill.

Birds that fly in the air, animals that dwell in the forest,
insects that creep in the grasses and burrow in the ground,
Hear this Mother!
A new life has come among You.
Make its path smooth that it may reach
The brow of the Fourth Hill.

All the Heavens, Air and Earth,
Hear this Mother!
A new life has come among You.
Make its path smooth -- Then shall it travel beyond the Four Hills!

OMAHA TRIBE

O Thou Shining One,
Thou knowest all our ways.
We utter praise of Thee !
Thou art Woman, Thou art Man;
Thou art Youth, Thou art Maiden . . .
Thou art the Dark Blue Bee,
Thou art the Green Parrot with Red Eyes,
Thou art the Thunder-Cloud, the Seasons, the Seas.
Thou art our Father.
Thou art our Mother.
Thou art our Beloved Friend.

HINDU

Great becomes the fruit,
Great the advantage of earnest contemplation,
when it is set round with upright conduct.

Great become the fruit,
Great the advantage of intellect,
when it is set round with earnest contemplation.

The Mind set round with intelligence is set quite free from the intoxications:
From the intoxication of sensuality,
From the intoxication of becoming,
From the intoxication of delusion,
From the intoxication of ignorance.

BUDDHA'S SONG

God is greater.
Glory be to Thee, O God, and praise.
Blessed is Thy Name and transcendent Thy Majesty.
There is no God but Thee.

I turn my face to Him who gave being to the heavens and the earth in true devotion.
Not for me the fellowship of false worship.
Truly my worship and my obligation, my living and my dying, are God's alone, The Lord of all being.
For there is no God beside Him.
So is it laid upon me a one who is surrendered.

ISLAM: SALAT

God, grant me
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Grant me
Patience with the things that take time.
Tolerance of the struggles of others that may be different from my own.
Appreciation for all I have and the
Willingness to get up and try again.
One day at a time.

THE SERENITY PRAYER

TO LIVE IN HEARTS WE LEAVE BEHIND IS NOT TO DIE.