“So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the LORD your God for He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And relents from doing harm.”
~ Joel 2:13 ~
An Old English Nun’s Prayer
…also known as Sandra’s Prayer…
LORD,
Thou knowest better than I know myself that
I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something
on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all,
but Thou knowest Lord that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains.
They are increasing and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I
dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others’ pains,
but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory
but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memory of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Make me reasonably sweet;
I do not want to be a Saint – some of them are so hard to live with –
but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and
talents in unexpected people.
And give me Oh Lord the grace to tell them so.
Amen.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.”
~ John 1:14 ~
If you’d like your name added to the prayer list, please let me know. Names will be kept for one month, unless requested otherwise. Around the world, people are praying.
Prayer Keeping ~ Maxine ~ Lizzy ~ Pamela ~ Sandy ~ Katie ~ Geoffrey and Terry ~ Misha and J ~ Jane and Lance ~ Raeann ~ Stephanie and family ~ Steve and Gwen ~ Quesenberry family ~ Smith family ~ Debbie ~ Mike ~ Wayne ~ Maryann and family ~ Jessica and Erik ~ Greg ~ Billy ~ Ethan ~ Ally Belle ~ Evan Claudie ~ me ~
Please could you add Claudie to the prayer list? She is the sister of one of my students, who has been in an induced coma for acute organ failure. She is now out of the coma, but in ICU on constant dialysis and needing physio to clear her lungs. There is a fear of some brain damage too. It sounds almost too much for one person to bear. Thank you.
thank you sweetie for the wonderful words of strengh you left me. what an inspiration. I needed that! thank you. xxo
Mary Ann, he's on the prayer list!
Kulusa, thank you for visiting and when we all pray, God listens.
Gail, just let me know to keep it on the list or it will come off in 30 days.
Michelle, such good news about your Dad! Praying he'll have successful treatments.
The Family, that prayer is embroidered on a pillow I bought at a thrift store.
Pamela, that's my favorite sentence as well…you probably guessed, eh?
HaHaHa
Mildred, we're expecting snow flurries so it's a busy week, finishing up the farm and now getting the house ready. It's COLD!
Dormouse, it IS a good prayer, isn't it?
Ana, I'm following you as well; your photography is beautiful!
Kerrie, it's a good prayer and applicable to my life.
Annie, those names are on the prayer list; just let me know how it goes. Names are kept for a month, unless notified otherwise.
KathyB, I need to say that prayer to myself, then God, daily -smile-.
Karen, you're right, it's a keeper!
Ana, Lily is a joy, now I'm off to visit you.
thank you for your prayers, dear. I'm in love with your Lily 🙂 kitties are such a joy! I wrote about my illness today. xxo
This prayer is definitely a keeper…bookmarking it now!
I am printing this off and adding it to my journal, maybe even a copy to tuck into my Bible, to remind myself the words of this prayer are so apropos in this time of my life. Thank-you Sandra.
Yes, I so need that prayer.
Please remember little Ethan, born last April with many birth defects, and Ally Belle, and Evan, children with cancer. thank you.
I love the prayer, every one should make it their own! Hugs, K
Hi dear 🙂 God bless! thank you for commenting Nancy's post on my blog 'wonderland'. I'm your new follower 🙂 xxo
I love this prayer…pithy and precise! Thank you for sharing it. God bless xx
I love the prayer. Enjoy this Autumn Sunday and may your week ahead be filled with many blessings.
I'm copying the prayer in my prayer journal. I can see places I need to pray with Sandra. I giggled at, "With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all…"
I printed off the Sandra Prayer and will hang it where I can see it daily because I could sure stand to read it over and over.
I love that prayer! And thanks for the prayers for my dad. The tests didn't show any metastasis, so his cancer is serious, but treatable. Continued prayers appreciated, especially while they try to decide on the best treatment option(s).
This is a beautiful prayer. I've not seen this one before. Thank you for having my son, Greg, on the prayer list. It was nice to see his name here. God bless!!!
with you in prayer, thank you so much for reminding me to be good at heart always 🙂
Please keep my uncle Billy Nicolas in your prayers! He is recovering in the ICU from a bicycle peg puncturing his lung. Thank you and God Bless!