In the spirit of sharing a benediction before a special dinner:

Thanksgiving Prayer

O' holy and merciful i hope, Lord:

Please help all of us open our hearts and just be grateful for our family, friends, neighbors, country, and our world.

Lord, in whose sight all life is equal.
Amen

Christmas Prayer

O' holy and merciful i hope, Lord:

Please keep me from all forms of burnout.

Please make me smarter, wiser and more imaginative.

Open my heart to love and respect for everyone and closed to fury — except those who earn something different —

Please keep me from hopelessness and end times despair about the human race.
Remind me always that the decision is, and always will be, yours and yours alone,

Don’t let me forget that “change” is the law.

Keep me from being an asshole

Lord in whose sight all life is equal
Amen

New Year's Prayer

O' holy and merciful i hope, Lord:

Please, remind me that any way that honors and worships you is — honoring and worshipping you.

Help me remember that a smile and affability do not balance out my being an asshole other times.

Help me remember that incorporating my faith in government, though I believe it is the “True Faith,” only leads to offense and oppression.

Help me remember that those unlike me still have the same protected freedoms, liberties, and rights I enjoy — until they break the law.

Help me choose evidence-based decisions — and not cherry-pick the evidence.
Please keep reminding me that belief doesn’t fix cars or countries.

Give me strength to not waver from allegiance to God, duty, honor, country.

Lord, in whose eyes all life is equal.
Amen

_{by Edward Covannon, Creative Commons Attribution - ^z - 2023-12-15}