Healing

Peace Illness Celebrate Survivor Joy
Smaller Daffodil Now Help Turned Away
Favors Love Learn Anguish Care
Emotions Shame Life Point Peace with Pain

 

Let me be at peace again

Let my body heal.
Let me wake up filled with joy
Let my joy be real.

May I walk with confidence
That I’m illness-free
May I know within my heart
That I’ll always be.

Let me feel free again
To make my dreams come true
Let me replace fear with faith
I live because of You.

 

I pray illness away from me.

What I envision I will be.
Each cell filled with terror and dread
Be gone from me. Be gone. Be dead.

I pray sickness disappears
And takes with it my deepest fears.
No longer victim of that voice
Persuading me I have no choice.

I pray darkness into light.
Already I have won this fight.
Once weak and frail, now I am strong
With work to do. I shall go on.

I pray victory deep inside.
Where death once lurked, now life resides.
Love is once more mine to give
I’m free. I’m well. I’m going to live.

 

Let me celebrate my Self.

She’s never left my side.
Through all the years of growth and doubt
Of being confused, inside and out
She shone a steadfast inner light.
Though I was lost
She still burned bright.

Let me celebrate my Self
On view for all to see.
As I grow strong and learn to live
With courage, taking, as I give
To others, joy in what I do
She smiles and then,
My joys renew.

Let me celebrate my Self
God’s presence I now know.
And as I journey down this path
Only one question I would ask:
Are Love and Self one and the same?
I pray they are
For Love’s God’s name.

 

I bow to you, Survivor

Woman Warrior
Great Self-Healer
I’m humbled by your confidence
In what none but you could see.

I honor you, Survivor
Gentle Goddess
Wise Earth Mother
I’m grateful for your sustenance
When there was only me.

I reach to you, Survivor
Guiding Spirit
Light-filled Lover
I’m asking for your providence
For now where I shall be.

 

Taking Joy in the Moment

May joy become a part of me
Each moment of tranquility
Crafted by my inner self
Who takes the sacred from the shelf
And scatters it into the air
So every breath becomes a prayer
Transforming all I see or hear
Into my proof that Love is near.

May joy become a part of me
My body filled with divinity
Poured by my determined soul
To heal it so I’ll be whole
Streaming light goes everywhere
‘Til every cell becomes a prayer
Creating beauty out of strife
Bringing balance to my life.

 

My world’s become much smaller now

And yet I’ve learned to see
The joy in every moment lived
With love inside of me.

The trips I make are shorter now
And yet each step reveals
A path I’ve not been on before
To where my spirit heals.

My songs are sung much softer now
And yet each word rings true
Expressions of a new found peace
As I unfold to You.

 

I saw a daffodil today

For I was looking down
Unable to sense where I’d step
Untrusting of the ground.
Angry at being so weakened,
Impatient of my stride,
Its beauty took my breath away
And I forgot my pride.

I saw a budding leaf today
For I had stopped to rest
Suddenly tired and out of sorts
Feeling I’d failed my test.
Disgusted at my lack of strength
Uncertain what to do
Its new life gave me hope again
That I could start anew.

 

For months I could not be here now.

I simply would not be.
So self absorbed had I become;
So centered around me.
So dominated by my health,
Diminished by my fear,
That I would go to any lengths
Before I would be here.

For months I could not take a breath.
The air seemed stale and still
So tightly bound had I become;
That living made me ill.
So trapped by useless worry
Consumed by futile doubt
I gasped and wheezed inside myself
Instead of breathing out.

 

I cannot do this by myself.

There’s just too much to bare
I’ve never asked for help before
But will You please be there?

I cannot do this by myself.
No longer brave am I
I’ve never wept with fear before
So will You hear my cry?

I cannot do this by myself.
Once whole, I’ve come apart
I’ve never knelt in prayer before
Yet will You search my heart?

I cannot do this by myself.
My perfect life is gone.
I’ve never given in before
Oh, will You make me strong?

I cannot do this by myself
I’m like a child again
I’ve never needed You before
Now will You be my friend?

Dismissed my need to feel.
You blew off all my fears with smiles
Drug data combed from research trials
I left confused, ashamed and lost
As though my bridge had not been crossed
Alone I’d have to heal.

 

Today you turned away my soul

Today you hurried past my heart
So driven to carry on.
You scheduled my appearance there
But in your eyes you didn’t care.
We both knew it was all pretense
Your asking if your words made sense
For I took far too long.

Today you brushed aside my pain
As something not quite true
By treating it subjectively
My symptoms only felt by me,
You made me feel weak and old
When all I asked was to be told
That I could trust in you.

 

I’m not good at asking for favors.

I’m not comfortable leaning on you.
I don’t know words to describe what I’m feeling
I can’t articulate what I’m going through.

I tend to cringe from admissions of weakness.
I’m a novice at handling pain
I wish I had more experience being helpless
I keep to myself as a way to stay sane.

So be patient and give me the space that I ask for
Understand my dilemma in trying to express
Give me some time and I’ll tell you my story
Please listen in silence and I’ll do the rest.

 

I love you more than love itself.

I love you more again.
And if I can’t keep quiet now
It just because I’m learning how
To share with you my pain.

I love you more than words can say.
I love you more than breath.
And if I cannot hide my tears
It’s just because I have such fears
About my life - not death.

I love you more than this whole earth.
I love you more each day.
And if I keep on asking why
It’s just because I’ll always try
To show you how I’ll stay.

 

May I learn from my condition

How to give what I most seek
May I light the way for others
In our darkness when we meet
May I wipe with loving kindness
The fevered brow, the tear-stained cheek
May my pain build up my courage
So I’m strong for one who’s weak.

May I take the fear I feel
And transform it into grace
May I offer deep compassion
For whomever takes my space
May my faith heal all resentment
Leaving sheer joy in its place
May I share new love for living
With all who see my face.

 

Sometimes I simply close my mind


To what is lurking there,
Resentment, shame, self-pity, too
Mixed in with dark despair.

Sometimes I numb myself against
The anguish in my heart
My guilt at not being strong enough
The fear I’ll come apart.

Sometimes I purposely ignore
How angry I must sound
Furious at the world at large
And how it’s let me down.

Sometimes I shut all feelings out
So vulnerable am I
Unable to risk faith or joy
Emotions drained and dry.

Sometimes these times extend until
The pain of every thought
Is far more difficult to bear
Than what my illness brought.

Sometimes time stops; the darkness lifts
Love reaches to my soul.
And for those moments I release
Until I feel whole

 

I cannot bare your sympathy


I’m no poster child for prayer.
I beg you, please don’t pity me
It’s just enough for you to care.

I do not need your good advice
I’ve heard it all, and then some more.
Before you comment, please think twice.
Just walk with me along this shore.

I long to feel your warm embrace
But not within today’s context
So put yourself into my place
And wait with me for what comes next.

 

When you ask me how I feel


There are no words that could reveal
The fear, anger, confusion, dread
Emotions tangled in a web
So intricately woven tight
No answers come without a fight
Between the grownup who would lie
And my child Self who wants to cry.
My mind shuts down. I cannot speak.
Should I be strong or show I’m weak?
Shall I pretend I’m unconcerned?
Or share what I have come to learn
About how living day to day
Makes it difficult to say
Anything that’s always true
Except the love I feel for you.

How do I feel?


Should I explain?
What I went through today?
Not the physical pain,
But the way I was treated
Made me weak and ashamed.

How am I doing?
Can I express?
How I felt when I looked
At the way I was dressed?
As an inmate, a victim
Costumed as oppressed.

Am I hanging in there?
Do I dare say?
When I think of the choices
I make every day
Determined to dignify
Healing my way.

 

What was the point?


What did I learn?
That after waging such a fight
My illness lingers with me still
And I’m bereft of faith or will?

The point is life.
You learned to bend.
You’ve grown much stronger than you know
Believe in this: your mission’s done
And best of all, you will have won.

What was the prize?
If I have won
A hollow victory one might say
For though I struggled valiantly
Good health in life is gone for me.

The prize is grace
Why can’t you see?
That every moment is a chance
To celebrate what must come true
Salvation in God’s plan for you.

At one time I demanded things.


“Take away my pain”, I cried
And yet as time went on I found
That suffering drew me apart
From worldly things and filled my heart
With so much love that I became
At peace and I gave up my pain.

At one time I resented life.
“It’s just not fair,” I raged to all
And yet each day my fight to win
The battle for my peace of mind
Offered ways for me to find
Victories in a sacred place
Transforming anger into faith


At one time I could not sit still
“Give me patience,” I would say
And yet as life continued on
Waiting became a part of me
So gradually I learned to see
That stillness opened up my soul
Acceptance finally made me whole.


Children

 

Stress Dare Fear Confusion Trust
Cry Pathway Getting Along Gracious Fighting
Mistakes Parent Understand Potential Faith
Strength Halloween Holiday New Years Patience

 

 

Stress

When I'm hurried through life
From the moment I wake
Rushed from home right to school
Told there's no time to take


When I'm bundled like groceries
And carted around
Fulfilling a schedule
That's getting me down


When fun becomes scheduled
As an in between treat
And everyone's screaming
About deadlines to meet


Then let me find peace
In a place without stress
A place deep inside me
With God I can rest


I must dare...


To raise my hand
When I don't know
To volunteer
When no one else does
To help someone
When they are lost
To risk being wrong
When I feel right
To try my best
When I might fail
To trust in God
When I'm afraid


Let me greet this day with joy


Shake off my fearful thoughts
About going back to school
And follow the morning's light
To new beginnings.

Let me greet this day with hope
Forget my sleepless night
And as I dress for school
Prepare my heart and mind
For new beginnings.


Confusion

Please help me, God to understand
Why when I leap, I often land
Not on two feet but on my head
Tripped, up, brought, down my face quite red

Please help me, God to comprehend
Why when I reach, I often end
Up touching flames instead of ice
And feeling hurt instead of nice

Please help me, God to find out now
That growing up is learning how
To take a risk, seek out a change
Find joy in knowing life is strange

 

When I look at myself in the mirror


May I like the child I see
Knowing my body is growing
Opened by God's loving key

When I look at myself in the mirror
May I trust that I'm going to be
Shifting, changing, rearranging
But totally true to what's me



Sometimes no matter how I try


My feelings burst and I must cry
I bite my lips so I don't weep
But still a tear rolls down my cheek

It seems unfair that I can't show
The fear or loneliness I know
For crying is not a baby thing
It's something grownups, too, are doing

Please, help me, God, to find a way
To weep and know that it's okay
It hurts too much to keep inside
It's best for me that I have cried.

 

I pray I'll choose paths that are clear


For I can not judge which way to go
Confusion and childhood seem to walk hand-in-hand
And I seldom am able to know

I pray I'll see stars that will guide
For I can't find my way in this night
It's hard to grow up to be brave and be wise
Please, God, lead my way with your light

GETTING ALONG WITH FRIENDS

Help me, God, to get along
With those who mean a lot to me
I don't want to have these battles
Just because we don't agree.

Help me, God to find solutions
That don't always mean a fight
I know there are compromises
If we both can see Your light.

Help me, God, to think it over
Before crying or hitting back
If I listen to my conscience
I will keep myself on track


May I be gracious to all of my friends


May I be generous and just
May I take care to always be fair
So I'll be a person they can trust

May I find ways to reach out to them
May I help them heal their pain
May I listen well to all that they tell
Be the rainbow of love in their rain

 



Let me find new ways to fight


Instead of screaming that I'm right
Perhaps I pray that I can show
What's in my heart without a blow
Or ask for calm instead of tears
Or whisper "peace" when filled with fears
Let me stop short before I hate
Think twice before it's far too late
To recall, return, retrieve the words
Of hurt and pain before they're heard
Give me the strength to overcome
My need to fight until I've won.



MAKING MISTAKES

When I drop my drink
And it makes a stain
Or leave my coat
Out in the rain

When I talk too loud
And I take too long
When I break the toy
That was never strong

When I tear my jeans
Or track in mud
Or bathe the dog
In my Mom's bathtub

I don't need to cry
Or be filled with fear
For God smiles with love
God is always near


PARENTS

Please, God, help me to understand
It's not my fault when parents argue.
It's not my fault when one of them cries.
It's not my fault when there's yelling and screaming.
It's not my fault when one of them lies.

Please, God, help me to understand
It's not what I did that causes their problems.
It's not what I said that's making them sad.
It's not who I am who's creating their anger.
I am Your child; It's not me who is bad.

 


FEELINGS


Let me understand myself
Bad feelings that build up inside
When I'm angry, when I'm wrong
Or anxious when my friends are gone

Let me understand myself
Bad feelings taking over all
When I'm teased and want to fight
Or frightened of the dark at night

Let me understand myself
How to replace bad with good
For substitutions I can make
Feel joy and love instead of hate


Help me, God to see


When I'm not picked for the part
Or chosen to lead, or selected to run
Or put first in the line before everyone

That it's okay, it's not my doing
I'll get my chance another time
And those who choose just do not know
How good I am, how far I'll go

Let me have faith


That it's always okay
To cry when it hurts
As long as I say
Being brave is something
I do every day
It's a part of my self
That won't go away
So if I fall down
And pain stings like a ray
Let me be strong
By remembering to pray



May I have the strength


To laugh when they say
Think what you want
But do it my way

May I have the faith
To shrug when they talk
About what I should do
And what I should not

May I have the trust
To smile when they frown
They can't judge my feelings
They can't bring me down.


 

HALLOWEEN


When I go door to door asking for treats
When ghosts float from the trees in the night
When the kid who I pass all wear a disguise
And the pumpkins all glow very bright

When I wear a mask to hide my face
When I pretend to be someone I'm not
When my costume makes me a monster or queen
Or an ugly old witch with a pot

May I think for a moment, on how people act
And how they wear masks every day
Yet if we are honest about how I feel,
All of our masks go away.

 


HOLIDAY


What can I do to hold onto the feeling
Of beauty and joy that comes with this season?
What can I bring to each celebration
That lasts in my heart for my own re-creation?

What can I give to make their smiles brighter
That when it's remembered, I'm hugged even tighter?
What can I say to the people I see
That expresses God's love from deep within me.


NEW YEARS

On this first day of the year
My resolutions are clear
I'll try not to whine
I'll try to be kind
I'll try to be polite, obedient and dear

And yet it's so easy to stray
From what I have promised today
For I'm only a child
I am joyful and wild
And my soul wants to go its own way.

PATIENCE


Are what I pray
I want it all
To happen fast

Prayers for Patience
Are what I say
To help me trust
In what I ask

Prayers for Patience
Throughout the day

 

 

 

Teenage Girls

Courage One Way Keep Me Strong Decisions Protection
Spirit Confidence Connection Gods Child Comfort
Believe In Self Starting Out Worry Isolation School
Pressure Stressed Risk Self Image My Body

 

 

COURAGE


I surround myself with toys at night
Just like a little child
And yet my dreams are different now
With yearnings to be wild

I pray to keep these two selves safe
Each night before I sleep
The child in me protected by
The grownup I'll soon meet

It's hard to close my eyes sometimes
When deepest needs collide
The search for self continues strong
It pulls me like the tide

Put prayers on my pillow, please
So I can tread the night
And wake up being the girl I am
To greet with joy, the light



There is only one way to save myself


There is only one way to live
And that is to find
The self that is mine
To touch it, to grow it, to make it divine

There is only one way to fight despair
There is only one way to win
And that is to clasp
Each day as my last
Treasuring it, living it, holding it fast

There is only one way to happiness
There is only one way to hope
And that is with faith
That my soul is a place
To the love everlasting that comes with God's grace

 


As I go through this day


Let me be strong
Let me believe
That I belong
Let me build courage
To face down my fears
And replace them with faith
That I'm worth all my tears
For the self that I value
Is what makes me great
And keeps me the master
Of my wonderful fate

 



DECISION-MAKING

Lord, guide me on the journey I make
For there are different roads to take

Four lane highways, smooth and fast
Filled with people going past
I could choose those roads and go
With the crowd and never know

A smaller winding road that runs
Counter to the bigger ones
With ruts and hills, not smoothly paved
Demanding I be strong and brave

But giving me the chance to be
All my soul intends for me
My road I'll travel as I learn
To love with every twist and turn

 


May my angels protect me


May they hear what I pray
May they touch oh so gently
As I go through each day
Let them guide me with secrets
That only I hear
As they lovingly whisper
"You have nothing to fear"

 

I pray as I grow older


My spirit will stay strong
Not weakened by the need to lie
And cover up what's wrong

I pray as I grow older
My spirit will stay free
Not trapped by webs of pretense
From fears I can't be me

I pray as I grow older
My spirit will stay true
Not twisted into knots of doubt
But certain through and through


I pray as I grow older
My spirit will stay wild
Not cowered by the world's demands
Still proud to be a child

 

SELF CONFIDENCE

May I help myself grow
May I like what I see
May I be proud to know
That this girl is all me
May I follow my feelings
May I live out my dreams
May I trust that God loves me
Much more than it seems
So I'll always win

 


I pray for connection


Between what I do
And what I feel
No more robot actions
Familiar patterns
To rely on
That separate me
From emotions
Going through motions
Endlessly

I pray for transition
From pretending that I care
To an honest answer
Risking consequences
Of anger and rejection
For the truth
From deep within
Building step by step
Connection
Between what I do
And what I feel

 


I am God's child -- I am innocent


I am God's creation -- I am beautiful
I am God's gift -- I am generous
I am God's hope -- I am willing
I am God's wisdom -- I am knowing
I am God's laughter -- I am joyful
I am God's grace -- I am faithful
I am God's love -- I am me

 



COMFORT

May I always be able to run to
That deep place that waits for my stay
Where calm light shines on forever
And nothing can tear me away


May I go there whenever I need to
May the door always open at will
As my soul rises up to embrace me
And my mind becomes blessedly still

As a girl I found the place easy
To hide in and stay there to play
But now getting back there seems harder
Yet I need that place more every day

I must never lose the way back there
Inside myself, let me make time
To follow the light where my soul is
The place where I'll find what is mine

May I believe that I can do it


May I keep my spirit strong
Ignoring those who laugh at me
For I will prove them wrong

May I know what I am made of
May I trust I'll overcome
The odds stacked high against me
For tomorrow I'll have won

May I cherish every inner hope
May I nourish every dream
And follow only paths I make
I'm more than what I seem

 

 

STARTING OUT

I pray I can get through this first time
Today's what this first time is for
As a child I was burdened with first times
But it seems like this year there are more

I pray for the strength to be certain
That I can appear brave and strong
Though my stomach's in knots for the first time
I shall trust that the day won't go wrong

I pray I can handle this first time
So that it turns to victory
And tomorrow I'll be filled with its power
To act out what is best inside me

 


My stomach's in knots, my nails are chewed


My face is in blotches, my self's come unglued
I can't seem to think; I don't know what to say
I'm confused and embarrassed throughout every day

I worry about worrying, I feel guilty and fret
About what to remember that I'm sure I'll forget
I know I'm not perfect; I'm scared I will fail
When I'm faced with a change, my faults often prevail

I know I've just started another school year
But how can I get through each day without fear?
I need to find someplace where I can just be
Alone with my thoughts and the self that is me

 


As I walk hunched down hallways


Or hold my lunch tray looking
For a friend and finding only
An empty seat at an unfriendly table
As I enter a classroom late and nervous
With all eyes staring
Or dress without showering after gym
For fear of being judged

As I stand outside of the circle
The gang, the group or the crowd
Conducting my life in isolation
Trying to pretend I don't care

Let me remember I'm not a stranger
Spirit is with me and all around
Are the loving voices of generations
Those like me started out alone



SCHOOL

There is so much to remember to get through the day
Places to be and word games to play
Endless details of things I must take
To school and from school, to turn in, to make
I keep on forgetting where I ought to be
Or who I am when I am supposed to be me
I pray I can find just one moment to stop
Remembering things for a person I'm not



It seems, quite often, there's not time


My life seems squeezed between the lines
A puppet moved from class to class
With breaks to rest that never last

Please let me keep in mind the pace
Of God and not attempt to race
So I see time I thought was gone
As coming back just like the dawn



STRESS

Where is my balance
For this new tightrope?
I've stepped away from childhood
To walk without a safety net
A teetering teen
Caught in the middle
Of society's rules and regulations
And my wild soul

Where is my balance
For this new high wire act?
I've come halfway
A step at a time
Still willing to take a risk
A secret survivor
Aware of my audience
Cheering me on yet waiting breathless
To see if I fall

Where is my balance
For this new aerial ballet?
I hold out my hands
Asking for faith
To take me across the chasm
A believer
In myself
In God to take my hands
And give me balance


May I start each day


Knowing I can
Take a risk
Though the risk may fail
Dare to dream
What seems absurd
Shout the truth
When faced with lies
Choose what's hard
If hard is right
Fight to win
A noble cause
Trust in love
Amidst those who hate
Believe in God
To keep me safe

 

 

SELF IMAGE


When I look at my body
May I like what I see
Past the bulges and bumps
To what's inside of me

Not the shape or the color
Not the spots or the scars
But my soul so eternal
Far brighter than stars



My body is the cloak I wear


For this short time on earth
I can't return this precious gift
That I received at birth

So let me love each shape and curve
No matter how it looks
Compared to other bodies
In magazines and books

May I keep it safe from harm
Prepare it as I grow
This changing form of energy
Revealing eternal soul

 

 

Community

Making Difference Help Someone Believing Giving Caring
Generous Example Helping Others Mission Comforting

 

 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Let me share
My innocence
My joyfulness
My smile
With someone who
Has lost the chance
To visit with a child

Let me give
My gentle touch
My laugh
My whole embrace
To someone who
Would wait all day
To gaze into my face

 


Let me help someone today


Lend a hand or give away
Time that usually's spent in play

Let me leave something today
With someone who will never say
A word of thanks or gift repay

Let me go somewhere today
Guided by the words I pray
To God's love where I will stay

 


Please, God, give me courage


To start each day believing
That I will make a difference
Because I am a child

Please, God, give me power
To live each day believing
That I can solve my problems
Because I am a child

Please, God, give me faith
To end each day believing
That I've made someone happy
Because I am a child

 


What can I give to this world today


That returns a little of what I take
That shows that I'm able, because I am me
Of helping others through choices I make

What can I do for this world today
That makes it better than when the sun rose
Something I did that wasn't demanded
Or even better, something nobody knows

What can I say to this world today
That someone will hear and feel good
Words from the heart and not from the head
Expressing my love as no other words could

 


Please God, let me pause and look for a way


To give to the poor and the helpless today
To find time during hours when it's all joy and song
for mending a broken heart...righting a wrong

Please God, may I take a few moments of grace
To wipe away tears from someone's sad face
To make gifts of love for those who are lonely
Using talents for others, and not myself only

 


Let me be generous with my talents


Let me be giving of my mind
Let me lend help when it's needed
Let me offer others time

May I donate clothes to the needy
May I portion my wealth to the poor
May I share what I eat with the hungry
As I get, may I give even more.

For I am blessed with good fortune
My angels smile often on me
May I never ignore those less gifted
Less healthy, less happy, less free.

 

 

I pray that the person I am becoming


Is someone who'll give to the world
A little more courage, a little more grace
An example to follow, a more caring face

I pray that the knowledge I'm getting
Will someday help people to know
A little more love, a little more faith
Something I'll leave for the whole human race

I pray that the spirit I'm blessed with
Will guide me on God's special path
A little more surer, a little more clear
So others will follow without any fear

 



HELPING OTHERS

Let me live one dream to help others
Today, just one, why not?
Let me give one hour to my neighbor
Right now, just one, why not?
Let me make one gift for a poor child
This time, just one, why not?
Let me start one project for the hungry
At once, just one, why not?
Let me share one day with the sick
This day, just one, why not?
Let me do one act out of kindness
From within, just one, why not?

 


I'm not too young to begin to see


The mission God has given me
Although the goals are far away
May I get glimpses every day
So I can keep my joy alive
So that my mission will survive
So that one day I'll be prepared
To say to all that I have dared
To make this world a better place
To make my mark, to leave my trace

I ‘ll be someone to comfort her


To tell her it's okay
To stroke her hair
And kiss her cheek
To hold her tight when she feels weak
To make hurt go away

I ‘ll be someone to care for her
Someone who's always there
To take her hand
And wipe mhertears
To stand on guard against her fears
To help when life's unfair

I trust in God's great love for her
When she is all alone
To hear her cry
And fill her heart
With faith that she can do her part
And manage on her own