Students, Teachers, Parents, Friends, Elves, and Santas Everywhere!

 THESE ARE MY PRAYERS FOR YOU AT CHRISTMASTIDE AND ALL YEAR

 (Children, make eye contact with a familiar adult before you. Adults, please do the same. These are my dreams for you all.)

May you each find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. 

May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you

            The strength to walk through life

            Facing each new situation with courage and optimism. 

May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life.

And may you give these gifts as well as receive them in Christ’s name. 

May the teachers and teachings you admire become part of you,

So that you may call upon them when needed. 

Remember that the lives you have touched and those who have touched yours

Are always a part of you whether you’re 5, 55, or up! 

May you not become too concerned with material matters,

Whether you’re hanging a stocking at the hearth or filling one. 

But instead place value on the goodness in your hearts; finding the time in each day

            To see beauty and love in the world around you.

You’re looking at it right now! 

What you lack in the present, I pray, may become your strength in the future. 

Meeting these challenges helps us to grow into whom we are becoming. 

May your future be filled with promise and possibility.

Every interaction is a worthwhile experience. 

May you find inner strength to develop your self-worth

Independent of another’s judgement of your accomplishments. 

And last and most important of all;  

May you always feel loved as you are at this very moment. 

Amen.

Adapted from a poem by Sandra Sturtz Hauss