A Prayer

 Heavenly Father,

...help us remember
that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night
may be a single mother who worked nine hours that day
and is rushing home to cook dinner,
help with homework, do the laundry and
spend a few precious moments with her children.

...help us remember
that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man
who can't make change correctly
could be a worried 19-year-old college student,
balancing his apprehension over final exams with
his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

...remind us, Lord,
that the scary looking bum,
begging for money in the same spot every day
(who really ought to get a job!)
is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine
in our worst nightmares.

....help us remember
that the old couple walking annoyingly slow
through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress
are savoring this moment, knowing that,
based on the biopsy report she got back last week,
this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father,
remind us each day that,
of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love.

It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear.
We must open our hearts,
not to just those who are close to us,
but to all humanity.

Let us be slow to judge
and
quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.