Prayer for Peace

I have finally written all the blogs entry I had wanted to write. This is the last weekend before I resume my graduate studies on TUE, August 25th. As I had said before, this was one of the most invigorating and fun summer I ever had. It's not so much what I did but as much as how I felt and in how I have relished my state of mind more than ever. And, I have changed much of my state of mind without even consciously doing it.

When school resumes, I am going to take a pause from writing this blog and will probably come up for air during the Xmas Break. The reason is because I have a full course-load of 5 classes this Fall, follow by only 2 classes in the Spring 2010, my final semester. My projected graduation date will be sometime in May 2010. I am very excited about that.

As I begin a new semester of graduate studies, I keep in mind my nieces starting school as well as my former colleagues/teacher friends who are preparing for the coming academic year. This is a prayer for peace by St. Francis of Assisi that
I come back to in order to summon more peace in times of stress as we focus our attention on fulfilling tasks and duties that are ahead of us. Thanks for reading and hope to come back to the blog very soon.

Prayer for Peace
St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

P.S. One doesn't have to be 'religious' to admire this text. It simply is.