Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept...
... that the sun will set tonight and come up in the morning
... that January will be cold and July will be hot
... that the wind will blow in March
... that there will be people who don't like me - for no reason
... that there will be terrorists
... that planes will crash
... that people will die
... and that people will live
... that planes will deliver them to visit their loved ones
... that there will be peace makers
... that there will be people who love me dearly - for no reason
... that kites will fly in March
... that January will bring icicles July will bring fireworks
... that the sun will set tonight and come up in the morning

God grant me the strength...
... to bring hope to children in Mexico and mothers in Africa
... to bring healing to a child in Memphis, Tennessee
... to bring love to my friends at home
... to bring acceptance to the gasoline station attendant from Afghanistan
... to offer a smile to the bank teller
... to offer a day to help build someone a home
... to offer a pint of my blood
... to light a candle
... to shake a hand
... to say a prayer

God grant me the wisdom...
... to not dwell on the things I can't do.
This will only leave me feeling helpless,
steal away my time and energy,
and rob me of the chance to do the things I can.

God help me search earnestly for the things that I can do,
with strength and confidence and optimism,
so that I might know where to light candles and say prayers,
so that I might open doors to which I have keys,
and not grieve doors that I can't enter.