Woman or man, adolescent or senior, everyone of equal worth, we all have sensitive hearts and a longing to be loved, seen and heard. Every one of us shares fears, illness and sorrows. Every one of us has joys, dreams and light that can banish darkness. We are more or less identical inside.

No matter our sex or the color of our skin, we all live in bodies that will sooner or later pass on, leaving an emptiness. No matter our age, it is the present that counts. No matter what is behind us, we have great value inside. Man or woman, senior or adolescent, life is what unites us.

Help me to respect and honor those I encounter today. Remind me to see similarities rather than differences, and to raise up rather than diminish our differences. Let me become part of a generation that chooses individuals rather than external attributes.  

Peace of mind is a gift we receive by standing up for and safeguarding that which is most important to us.  It matters not what life serves up. What is decisive to our emotional status is how we act or react in relation to realities of life. A shift from expectation to acceptance results in peace of mind. 

Peace of mind is not the absence of problems or conflicts, but the ability to handle them. We may begin at the bottom – in homelessness, marginalization and rags, and dig our way up to a life in which the past is no longer built into the reality of the present. Peace of mind means accepting and acting at the same time.  

Help me today to choose peace of mind. Remind me to see that which is healthy and let go of that which drains and destroys. Give me strength in tranquility and acceptance and gratitude for the life that is mine.

One quick way of lowering your own self-esteem is to compare what is inside you with the outside of someone else. Everyone has their worries, but no one’s are identical with ours, and not all concerns are visible from the outside. Even the most glorious façade has its external cracks and internal hollows. Every flaw has its own personality. 

The less time we devote to wondering what others are up to, the more time we’ll have to build up our dreams. When our insides and our outsides are working together, we will be focused and only need to look up from building our own lives in order to help someone up who has fallen.

Help me today to focus on my own present. Make me immune to comparison. Let me see every person as a potential source of wisdom and a potential recipient of love. Strengthen my self-esteem and remind me to give my construction-in-progress the aid and respect it requires.

Life has our best interests at heart, although we are sometimes tempted to think otherwise. Life means well when we are struggling with an illness or pain, when we feel shut off, absent or stressed, when we lose someone we love, or when we lose contact with those who are closest, or with ourselves. Life means well.

Tomorrow is a cornucopia of time with no history. New approaches await. Life provides us with opportunities to start over, make new choices, and reestablish contact with the aspects of ourselves that are able to find light in the darkness. To every thing there is a season, and the present has constant confidence in life meaning well. 

Remind me today never to give up, no matter how deep the darkness inside or around me. Help me to keep up hope for myself and for others. Remind me to accept the help I need. Let me trust that life will see to my happiness. 

Summer is a time of blooming. The flowers reach out to the sun with their multicolored petals. They display their glory to any and all admirers – no bashful crouching, no hesitation, no competition. They know nothing of suspicion, worries, or hiding their light under a bushel.

We are the flowers filling the meadow of humanity. Daisies, cornflowers, forget-me-nots and cowslips. Each of us equally glorious in our individual ways.  Without each unique shape and color the meadow would not be as beautiful. Without each of our special contributions and expression, the meadow of humanity would wither.

Help me today to see the beauty and the gifts I have been given. Remind me to reach out for the sun and to explore the flowers around me. Let me make my contribution to the meadow of humanity.

Martin Luther King said: “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” We are responsible not only for what we say but also for what we fail to say or do. Silence can be more harmful and hurtful than harsh words and accusations.

We all have dreams that “our nation will rise up” and our children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”, though these dreams look different for each of us. Another thing that distinguishes us is whether, acting from our dreams, we behave responsibly in terms of our silence as well as our speech and our actions.

Help me today to utilize my voice to act on what is calling, but continue to remind me to be silent when necessary. Let me understand how to speak and act so my dreams will rise up. Make me willing and able to take my responsibility.

When we blossom, we reproduce nature. Blossoming means challenging the impenetrable layers and working our way toward sunbeams and spring warmth. It means insisting on growing, in spite of winter’s snowy setbacks, in spite of headwinds and gray skies. Blossoms do not give up; they find new ways of reaching for the sun.

One day at a time, we can choose to bloom. We can dare to face difficulties for our own sake, to invest wholeheartedly for the sake of others, and to follow our dream for the sake of humanity. germinated. 

Today, let me choose confidence over concern. Help me to recall that I am like a blossom in spring that does not give up. Let me see potential instead of misfortune and make me a force that blooms.

We carry a home inside us, a home that is there to guide us through every phase of life. It is a golden internal spot that never ages or dies. We are like spring flowers, taking root and extending toward the sun, with invisible petals and an enchanting array of colors.

The next time life is painful, let us turn homeward. When in doubt, let us seek answers inside ourselves. When in despair, let us recall that we are surrounded by circles of flowers. Let us believe that our inner seed will grow into a flower that will encircle other seeds that are longing to meet the sun.

Today, let me choose the trees coming into leaf. Help me to see seeds where others see barrenness and remind me of the flowers that protect me. Let me turn inward as I turn outward, and remember my innermost seed, waiting to bloom.

This very day, someone will buy their first bouquet of flowers. This very day, someone will resign to be able to build their dream. This very day, someone’s heart will stop beating. This very day, someone will write their will, out of consideration for their dear ones. This very day, eyes will meet, and someone will fall in love. This very day, someone will take time off to pull themself together.

Twenty-four hours is a generous framework for freedom. One day at a time we can manage to take the leap to uncertainty. One day at a time we can let go of yesterday and of history, to embrace the moment. Step by step, we can tackle challenges for the sake of coming days, and trust in life to bear us forward on its breath.

Help me today to explore whether I need to slow down or speed up. Make me irrepressible in my beliefs and unlimited in releasing things that sink my dream. Remind me to live one day at a time, here and now.

To those of us who harbor doubts: there is a way. To those who are grieving, tears can heal. To those who are exhausted: do not despair.  To those who are afraid: we are braver than we think. To those who have failed: let us show the world what strength and patience can mean.

To those of us who are successful: let us celebrate. To those who do not dare: let us cast off. To those who are longing: let us wish for what we want and need. To those wanting to be loved: let us love. To those who are under pressure: let us remember that it is wiser to cancel than to collapse.

Help me today to discover my inner core and allow my actions to proceed from it. Make me unafraid of silence, solitude and stillness. Remind me to listen to my inner voice and to choose my direction in harmony with it.