Winter Solstice Prayers

When I pray, I ask for exactly what I really want, not what seems realistic or possible or likely. In my experience, miracles are more likely when you look for them. Please feel free to add your own.

I pray that the women of this earth would be healed and strengthened and empowered and fulfilled, especially the women of Darfur, Congo, and Central America.

I pray that the children of this earth would be well nourished and well cared for, well educated and well respected, and that they would be seen as the miraculous treasures they are.

I pray for the end of violence, especially violence as policy. I pray for protection and healing and refuge for those living in lands ravaged by violence and war.

I pray for a worldwide end to bigotry. I pray that peoples of different races, and cultures, and backgrounds would stop viewing each other with suspicion and hate and would begin listening to, loving, and respecting each other.

I pray that every person and every family would have a good source of income, that everyone who wants to work would be able to work and would be fairly treated in the workplace and fairly compensated.

I pray that my country would return to the rule of law, complete with checks and balances.

I pray that my country and the world would have better leaders, leaders who would listen, and think deeply about the complex issues every nation faces, and that they would be granted wisdom and vision to help establish peace and prosperity and good will and understanding.

I pray that the people and communities whose lives have been devastated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids would be healed and restored and provided for in abundance and that the ICE raids would end immediately.

I pray that people who want to work hard and support their families would be welcomed to this country with open arms and that we would all be able to see what a blessing they are to our communities and to our economy.

I pray that peoples of different faiths and cultures would learn to understand and respect each other.

I pray that we would learn to love and respect those who are different from us in any respect: skin color, language, nationality, culture, beliefs, body size, sexual orientation ...

I pray that we would all learn how to forgive each other and be instruments of healing and joy in each other's lives.

I pray that my culture would be freed from its rampant, insidious, toxic consumerism.

I pray that we would learn to cherish the earth and take care of it and bring it back from the brink of destruction before it's too late.

I pray that people all over the world would have their human rights and their human dignity protected and honored and upheld.

I pray that policies driven by greed, fear, bigotry, and arrogance would be replaced with policies driven by generosity, courage, fairness, and compassion.

I pray that we would all learn how interconnected we are and that we are more alike than we are different.

Finally, I pray for a special little blessing of joy for all those who read this.

Merry Christmas, feliz navidad, joyous Kwanzaa, happy Hanukkah, blazing solstice, happy diwali, and a rollicking whatever else you might be celebrating!