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I pray today that I may:
Hold on to what is good,
even if it is a handful of earth;
Hold on to what I believe,
even if it is a tree that stands by itself;
Hold on to what I must do,
even if it is a long journey;
Hold on to life,
even when it is easier letting go;
Hold on to Your hand,
even when I have just lost my way.
May I live in each season as it passes:
Breathe the air,
Drink the drink,
Taste the fruit,
And resign myself to the influence of each.
May I be blown by all the winds;
May I open all my pores and bathe in all the tides of Nature,
in all her streams and oceans, at all seasons.
May I grow green with spring, yellow and ripe with autumn,
Drink of each season’s influence as a vial,
A true panacea of all remedies,
Mixed for Your special use.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a writer best known for his book Walden, a reflection on two-years of simple living in natural surroundings, and the essay, Civil Disobedience, in which he defends individuals right to conscientious objecting in the face of unjust laws. His writings anticipated many elements of ecology.
