A prayer I shared today with my son,  JM . May your faith and love in God grow stronger each day, and may God with His infinite mercy bless you always.

O Almighty God,

who hast given unto me my father and mother,

and made them to be an image of Thine authority,

and love, and tender watchfulness;

and hast commanded me to love, and honour,

and obey them in all things:

give me grace cheerfully and with my whole heart

to keep this Thy law.

Help me to love them fervently,

and to honor them truly,

to yield a ready obedience to their commands,

to comply with their wishes,

to study their happiness in everything,

and to bear their rebukes with patience and humility.

Deliver me O God from pride,

rebellion and wilfulness,

from passion and stubbornness,

from sloth and carelessness.

Make me diligent in all my duties and studies,

and patient in all my trials;

that so living, I may deserve to be Thy child,

who art our Father in Heaven.

Amen

Too few of us take the time to think through the values and moral precepts that guide our lives. Here is an edited version of writer Robert Louis Stevenson’s (1850-1894) personal creed :

1. Make up your mind to be happy.

2. Make the best of your circumstances.

3. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

4. Don’t let criticism worry you.

5. Be yourself.

6. Stay out of debt.

7. Don’t borrow trouble, imaginary troubles are hard to bear.

8. Don’t hold grudges; avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have a variety of interests ; go places or read about them.

10. Don’t brood; get over it.

11. Help those less fortunate.

12. Keep busy;  a busy person never has time to be unhappy.