"Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
God bless Mommy, Daddy, 2 grampies, Mildred,
Beauty, Cxxxx, Jxxxx, and Bxxx.
Everybody make me a good boy.
Amen"
Recited to a parent at bedtime until about age 13.
Ticked off Dad when I said I was too old for this anymore.
Mildred was one of 3 aunts. Cxx, Jxx, Bxx = siblings and me. Beauty was the cat. (Note the priorities.)
I had a similar thing I would say, it started with the above mentioned prayer and go through several diff. prayers and verses, until finally ending on something similar to yours, though on that one my father and my uncle-in-law were always last, and my grandparents were first. Every so often I find myself saying it all again, it’s reassuring but I still say it in the original order, and i have had to add in family members that have been born since.
It includes my grandparents, and all of their kids on my mom’s side, and their kids and all, and was taught to me by my mother. So you can see where HER priorities were. Heh.
Well, again based on what I’ve seen in the movies, I admit having some respect for “Aum Namah Shivaya!”
I will say even though I’m not very “religious” (I believe in God, but other than that, I don’t really go to church), I have always loved the Prayer of Saint Francis. This was Sarah McLachlan’s version (which is absolutely gorgeous):
*Lord make me an instrument of your 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 darkness, light.
And 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’s in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen*
(Plus every year at my school, we always had the pet blessing on St. Francis day. That was cool. The one year my friend even brought her horse!)
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
Should I die before I wake
I pray the Lord my toys to break
So none of the other kids can play with them.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
If I should live for other days
I pray the Lord to guide my ways
God bless…(a long list of people and animals)
My prayers when I was a child.
Wil this be on the test?
Only after you kill the younglings.
Jesus H Christ, are you kidding me?
I think he’s shitting me.
In family dinners, my Father in Law, a retired colonial history professor who’s children are far reaching in their beliefs, gives this grace at the table:
Bless O Lord, this food to our use,
And us to thy loving service;
And make us ever mindful of the needs of others,
Amen
It’s an elegant pause of gratefulness from a good mind and gracious soul, who is mindful of the needs of all of us weird others.
I love the Sufi Prayer for Peace:
Send Thy peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may think, act,
and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may be contented
and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife
we may enjoy thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may endure all,
tolerate all in the thought of thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that our lives may become a
divine vision, and in Thy light all darkness may vanish. Send Thy peace, O Lord, our Father and Mother, that we
Thy children on earth may all unite in one family.
Amen.
“It goes like this. Let’s see now: ‘Protect me from knowing what I don’t need to know. Protect me from even knowing that there are things to know that I don’t know. Protect me from knowing that I decided not to know about the things that I decided not to know about. Amen.’ That’s it. It’s what you pray silently inside yourself anyway, so you may as well have it out in the open.”
Arthur: "Hmmm, Well, thank you - "
Old Man: “There’s another prayer that goes with it that’s very important, so you’d better jot this down, too.”
Arthur: “OK.”
Old Man: “It goes, ‘Lord, lord, lord…’ It’s best to put that bit in, just in case. You can never be too sure. ‘Lord, lord, lord. Protect me from the consequences of the above prayer. Amen…’ And that’s it. Most of the trouble people get into in life comes from missing out that last part.’” - Old Man Oracle’s prayer given to Arthur Dent
Serenity now!!
Ash Wednesday
a meditation by Victor Hoagland, C.P.
Lent begins with the imposition of ashes, an ancient symbol of penance common in the Old Testament and pagan antiquity. Jesus alludes to it when he condemns the cities of Bethsaida and Chorazin for not doing penance. “If the miracles performed in you had taken place in Trye and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes”. (Matthew 11:21)
Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting.
Ash Wednesday Prayer
Jesus, you place on my forehead
the sign of my sister Death:
“Remember you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
How not hear her wise advice?
One day my life on earth will end;
the limits on my years are set,
though I know not the day or hour.
Shall I be ready to go to meet you?
Let this holy season be a time of grace
for me and all this world.
“Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
Please Jebus, don’t let my mind get my fist pregnant.
–Leonard Cohen, of course.
Can’t believe this one has gone un-mentioned:
To the Father, Son & the Holy Ghost
Whoever eats the fastest, gets the most.
Rub a dub dub
Thanks for the grub
Amen.
Our pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, Thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day our garlic bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the onion, and the bay leaves, forever and ever. R’Amen.
Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say, and
Keep me out of Your way.
Father Mychal Judge, who died in the World Trade Center, ministering to his flock