Mom is Just a Nickname

Let me discover my own hidden gifts, which though I seem to get glimpses of them here and there, remain buried beneath layers of self doubt, fear and low self confidence.  Let me find the belief in myself to know that the things which call me, which I love to do, have value and worth.  Let me understand that the things I do with love are also done with skill and talent.  Let me understand that I have other gifts that I still have not discovered because I have not let myself find them…give me the time, patience and teachers to discover them.

Make me strong in spirit;

Courageous in action;

Gentle of heart.

Let me act in wisdom;

Conquer my fear and doubt;

Discover my own hidden gifts…

Let me conquer my fear and doubt that i might live with self-confidence, not ruled by my fears.

Help me to realize that it’s ok to doubt myself momentarily, but there’s no need to lose confidence in myself because of these doubts.  Help me to understand that doubts are not a reason to give up, but rather a reason to work harder.  Help me to understand that doubts are a step toward a new goal; giving in to them will only leave me further away from that goal.

Help me to realize that fears are normal; everyone has them.  It is how we deal with these fears that often defines who we are.  Help me to face my fears, to deal with them in healthy ways; help me to expose them to sunlight instead of hiding them in closets where they have the chance to grow larger and more frightening.  Let me face my fears, wrap my emotions around them and dispel them, that I may move forward into the world, stronger for having conquered each fear as it arose.

Let me conquer my fear and doubt, for by walking forward with the knowledge that I have faced my fears and surpassed my doubts, I go forward with knowledge, strength and empathy…both for myself and others.

Make me strong in spirit;

Courageous in action;

Gentle of heart;

Let me act in wisdom;

Conquer my fear and doubt…

Let me act in wisdom. The easiest course of action is not always the best; let me take the time to evaluate each situation in order to choose that which will have the best long term consequences, that which will move me, those around me, and the world around me further towards peace and love.  Let me use  intuition and empathy balanced by rationale and careful analysis to come to decisions.  Let me use measured patience rather than rushed judgments; let me be engaged in my decisions, rather than choosing with indifference or apathy.   Above all, let me act in wisdom, so that I can look on my life and know that I did my best for myself and for those around me, and for the world I live in.

Make me strong in spirit;

Courageous in action;

Gentle of heart;

Let me act in wisdom…

Make me gentle of heart, that I may always respond to the world with wonder and kindness; that I do not carry shadows, cynicism and doubt with me; that I always know what it is to love others.  Make me gentle of heart that I always do my best to listen for others’ emotions, to empathize and and relate, to feel connected to others.  Make me gentle of heart that I may live honestly with myself – always being honest  about my own emotions, my own truths and my own wants and needs.  Make me gentle of heart….

Make me strong in spirit;

Courageous in action;

Gentle of heart…

Make me courageous in action, able to step into the world and act my beliefs even when they differ from the mainstream. Give me the courage to act as my conscience dictates without regard to how the crowd around me is acting.

Too often I act in ways that are meant to protect myself or my family but which end up denying my true self.  Sometimes, these actions are truly necessary; more often, I think, they are not. They are simply actions of a fearful spirit.  So I ask for the courage to step out and speak my truth to the world through my actions.

Give me courage to wear my rainbow bracelet; to keep shaving my hair; to walk hand in hand with whoever I so choose; to go to pagan festivals or perform public rituals; to rip out the grass in my front yard and replace it with a perennial garden; to put Unitarian Universalist and pagan and rainbow bumper stickers on my car.

Why should anyone else have the ability to scare me out of announcing to the world who I really am if that’s what I want to do? If I feel like speaking my truth, then it’s my right to do it.  In the United States, I have the Freedom of Expression and it’s my right to exercise it.

Make me strong in spirit,

Make me courageous in action, that my children will learn that each of us has our own truth and we are each of us allowed to speak that truth, even if it is different from another’s.

Make me courageous in action, that my children can learn that it is possible to speak our own truths while being respectful of others’ truths.

Make me courageous in action, that I can free myself from this self imposed prison of silence and fear in which I live.

Make me courageous in action.