May they never be lonely at parties
Or wait for mail from people they haven’t written
Or still in middle age ask God for favors
Or forbid their children things they were never forbidden.
May hatred be like a habit they never developed
And can’t see the point of, like gambling or heavy drinking.
If they forget themselves, may it be in music
Or the kind of prayer that makes a garden of thinking.
May they enter the coming century
Like swans under a bridge into enchantment
And take with them enough of this century
To assure their grandchildren it really happened.
May they find a place to love, without nostalgia
For some place else that they can never go back to.
And may they find themselves, as we have found them,
Complete at each stage of their lives, each part they add to.
May they be themselves, long after we’ve stopped watching.
May they return from every kind of suffering
(Except the last, which doesn’t bear repeating)
And be themselves again, both blessed and blessing.
—Mark Jarman, from To the Green Man
In honor of the 22nd birthday of my daughter, Remy Choate Davis, who has been for many both blessed and blessing.
Heather Choate Davis 
I love this, Heather. Forgetting myself in music today! Life is not about waiting for the storms to end, but about learning to dance in the rain!! Deb W.
From: heather choate davis To: debwamp1@yahoo.com Sent: Saturday, February 13, 2016 11:56 AM Subject: [New post] Prayer for Our Daughters #yiv6347030328 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv6347030328 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv6347030328 a.yiv6347030328primaryactionlink:link, #yiv6347030328 a.yiv6347030328primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv6347030328 a.yiv6347030328primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv6347030328 a.yiv6347030328primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv6347030328 WordPress.com | heather choate davis posted: “May they never be lonely at partiesOr wait for mail from people they haven’t writtenOr still in middle age ask God for favorsOr forbid their children things they were never forbidden. May hatred be like a habit they never developedAnd can” | |