HERE COMES SUMMER

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We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures,
especially for  Brother Sun,
who brings the day; through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

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St. Francis of Assisi

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A Summer Blessing

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May you walk with God
This summer
In whatever you do
Wherever you go

Walking with God means...
Walking with honesty
And with courage,
Walking with love
And respect
And concern for the feelings of others

May you talk to God
This summer
And every day and
In every situation

Talking with God means...
Praying words of praise
For the beauty of creation
Saying prayers of thanks
For friends and good times,
Asking God's help
In all your decisions
Expressing sorrow
When you have failed

May you talk with God
Every day.

   Amen.
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Annette Sherwood

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Great and living Aten, ordaining life, vigorously alive, our father. Our wall of millions of cubits, our reminder of eternity, our witness of what is eternal. Who fashions himself with his own hands, whom no craftsman has devised. Who is established in rising and setting each day ceaselessly. Whether he is in heaven, or on earth, every eye beholds him without hindrance, whilst he fills the land with his rays and enables everyone to live. With seeing whom, our eyes are satisfied daily in this Temple of the Aten and fills it with his own self by means of his rays, beauteous with love, and embraces us with them in life and power forever. 

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Ancient Egyptian Prayer
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Dear God, give us the brains to use some sunscreen!

Amen.
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MARRIAGE BLESSING FROM A SUFI MYSTIC

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May these vows and this marriage be blessed.

May this marriage be delicious milk,

like wine and havlah.

May it offer fruit and shade,

like the date palm.

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May this marriage be full of laughter,

making every day a day in Paradise.

May this marriage be a token of compassion,

a seal of joy now and for ever more.

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May this marriage have a gracious face and a good name,

an omen as welcome

as the moon in a clear daylight sky.

I have run out of words to describe

how spirit mingles in this marriage.

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Jalil al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) Persia

Muslim poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic

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PRAYER FOR ANIMALS AND THEIR MASTERS

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Hear our humble prayer, O God,

for our friends, the animals,
especially for those who are suffering;
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for animals that are overworked,

underfed, and cruelly treated;

for all the wistful creatures in captivity,
that beat their wings against bars;

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for any that are hunted or lost or deserted,

or frightened or hungry;

for all that must be put to death.
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We entreat for them all

Thy mercy and pity,

and for those who deal with them,

we ask a heart of compassion

and gentle hands and kindly words.
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Make us, ourselves,
to be true friends to animals
and so to share

the blessings of the Merciful.
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Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

German theologian, philosopher, and physician

Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1952

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A MID-WINTER PRAYER

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A Mid-Winter Prayer

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From the rising of the midwinter sun to its setting
Scatter the darkness with the light of your love, O Shining One.
Make me short on mean thoughts, long on offering words of comfort
Make me short on being driven, long on paying attention
Make me short on focusing only on my own, long on looking beyond

Make me short on obsessive lists, long on spontaneous acts of kindness

Make me short on mindless activity, long on time to reflect

Make me short on tradition as a habit, long on re-discovery and re-owning

Make me short on rushing and tiring, long on walking and wondering

Make me short on false festive jollity, long on stilling and rooted joy

Make me short on guilt, long on being merciful to myself

Make me short on being overwhelmed, long on peaceableness as I set forth this day

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From The Celtic Wheel of the Year:

Celtic and Christian Seasonal Prayers

by Tess Ward

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