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The Year of Miracles

1/1/2023

24 Comments

 
​Hello blog friends, 
​
On this first day of the New Year, I've decided to share a few prayers from religions that might express their understanding of life and the Divine quite differently than you. And yet, even if this is the case, I think you'll find the prayers familiar and inspiring. 

I begin with a story: Twelve years ago, I was fortunate to hear the Dalai Lama speak at the University of California in Irvine. The packed arena grew silent when the frail monk walked onto the stage. He smiled and chuckled and then began talking about - Love.  His microphone was faulty and it was difficult to hear him because he spoke softly. But the students roared their endorsement. It was then that I realized that it wasn't his words that reached them. It was him. 

We may not be monks, but each of us has the extraordinary gift of life. And we can be countercultural by risking love. Let's make 2023 a year of miracles. I suspect we're all weary of last year's struggles. Maybe a neighbor needs help or a child needs a storyteller. Small steps can lead to big leaps in transforming our world. I know this to be true, because the students showed me the possibility. ❤️

Happy New Year, dear friends! 
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Bodhisattva Prayer for Humanity
​May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.

Picture
Native American Great Spirit Prayer
Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds 
   and whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me! I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
   ever hold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things You have made,
   and my ears sharp to hear Your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
   the things You have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons You have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Help me remain calm and strong
   in the face of all that comes towards me.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,
   but to fight my greatest enemy – myself.
Make me always ready to come to You with clean and straight eyes.
So when life fades as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.


Picture
Christianity's The Lord's Prayer
​Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
​
24 Comments
Karen Ingalls
1/2/2023 04:49:45

This blog is truly enlightening, inspiring, and important. From a young age my grandmother taught me about the one-ness all humanity shares and our God is truly one. The three prayers are one and the same, each filled with Love and guidance.
Gwen, thank you for sharing this beautiful message. Wishing you a blessed 2023.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:31:16

Thank you, dear Karen. Like you, I grew up with the notion of oneness, and that belief has guided my path. 🤗

Reply
Liz Gauffreau link
1/2/2023 06:07:51

I particularly appreciate the "Bodhisattva Prayer for Humanity," a simple yet profound way of living. I share your hope that 2023 be a year of miracles.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:32:34

It is an extraordinary prayer, simple but so profound. Thank you, Liz, for visiting and adding to the conversation. 😊

Reply
Priscilla Bettis link
1/2/2023 06:23:17

Lovely post, Gwen. I pray 2023 will be a year of miracles!

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:33:50

Thank you, Priscilla. We need miracles these days, and I'm with you in prayer. 😊

Reply
Staci Troilo link
1/2/2023 06:32:13

A year of miracles sounds wonderful. I pray for that. Thank you, Gwen.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:35:45

2022 was rugged for many of us, and a year of miracles is what we need. 🤗

Reply
John Howell link
1/2/2023 06:37:40

An uplifting post, Gwen. I pray 2023 brings you peace, love, and happiness.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:36:23

Thank you, John. I hope the same for you -- peace, love, and happiness. 😊

Reply
Jill Weatherholt link
1/2/2023 07:15:31

What a beautiful post to start the new year. Thank you for sharing, Gwen. Wishing you a peaceful and blessed 2023. xo

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:37:08

Thank you so much, Jill. May your year be richly blessed. 🤗

Reply
CS Boyack
1/2/2023 07:32:47

Interesting to see all these gathered in one place.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:38:25

For me, they are very similar and inspiring. Happy New Year, Craig.

Reply
Jan Sikes
1/2/2023 07:33:40

All three beautiful prayers, Gwen. I resonate with all three on different levels. Thank you for sharing and I'm looking forward to a year filled with miracles for us all! New Year's Hugs!!

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 07:40:11

Thank you, Jan. I'm so pleased you resonated with each of them. Blessings on you and yours during this New Year. 😊

Reply
Mae Clair link
1/2/2023 10:31:43

What beautiful prayers to start the New Year, Gwen! Wishing you much peace and joy in 2023. I believe holding joy in the heart spreads joy to others--and we need more of that! ♥️

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 12:39:02

So true, Mae. Thank you for the beautiful reminder of holding joy in our hearts! 🤗

Reply
Mar link
1/2/2023 10:52:01

Oh my sweet friend. To be in the same room as Dalai Lama. I have chills just thinking about it. Thank you for sharing this story and the three beautiful prayers. Here's to an incredible year of hope. <3

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/2/2023 12:40:00

Thank you, Mar...to an incredible year of hope. Yes! ❤️

Reply
Dan Antion link
1/2/2023 13:35:12

These are beautiful prayers, Gwen. Thank you very much for sharing them. This is a great way to start the year.

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/3/2023 04:06:12

Thank you, Dan. I share your belief very much -- a beautiful way to start the year.

Reply
Harmony Kent link
1/3/2023 06:37:50

Beautiful post and prayers. Thanks for sharing, Gwen. Wishing you all the very best for 2023! Hugs and love 💕🙂

Reply
Gwen M. Plano
1/3/2023 12:29:10

Thank you, dear Harmony. I wish you all the very best as well. ❤️

Reply



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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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