Keep us, oh God, from pettiness;

Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.

 

Let us be done with fault-finding

And leave off self-seeking.

 

May we put away all pretense

And meet each other face to face,

Without self-pity and without prejudice.

 

May we never be hasty in judgment

And always be generous.

 

Let us take time for all things;

Make us grow calm, serene, gentle.

 

Teach us to put into action our better impulses,

Straightforward and unafraid.

 

Grant that we may realize it is

The little things that create differences,

That in the big things of life we are at one.

 

And may we strive to touch and to know

The great, common human heart of us all.

 

 

                                                                                               ~ Mary Stewart