Prayer for 2021

As we take a few moments (before the hustle and bustle of the semester creeps into our schedules) to settle into this new year, I offer this prayer on behalf of our Hornet Community:

May our eyes remain open even in the face of tragedy.
May we not become disheartened.
May we find in the dissolution of our apathy and denial, the cup of the broken heart.
May we discover the gift of the fire burning in the inner chamber of our being —
burning great and bright enough to transform any poison.
May we offer the power of our sorrow to the service of something greater than ourselves.
May our guilt not rise up to form yet another defensive wall.
May the suffering purify and not paralyze us.
May we endure; may our sorrow bond us and not separate us.
May we realize the greatness of our sorrow and not run from its touch or its flame.
May clarity be our ally and wisdom our support.
May our wrath be cleansing, cutting through the confusion of denial and greed.
May we not be afraid to see or speak our truth.
May the bleakness of the wasteland be dispelled.
May the soul’s journey be revealed and the true hunger fed.
May we be forgiven for what we have forgotten
And blessed with the remembrance of who we really are.

 — The Terma Collective

in Life Prayers from Around the World,
edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon (p. 111)

May our journey through 2021 together be extraordinary and may the promise of the new year inspire us to seize the day (Carpe Diem!!) as individuals, as a university community, and as world citizens.
– Katrina