Dear Lord,

So far today, God, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I am very thankful for that.

But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed. From then on, I’m going to need a lot more help.

Amen.

I wrote this little prayer back in 1999. Most of my mornings do seem this way. Every morning that we wake up is another blessing. We get to reset our attitude, our emotions, and our lives. No matter how much money we do or do not have, no matter what we did yesterday, it is all in the past. Today is the present, a gift, and we can always recover from any of our past transgressions. We have to forgive ourselves, then ask to be forgiven.

I am by no means a perfect human. I have done things, said things, and committed sins towards my fellow neighbors. All of which I have forgiven myself for. It took a very long time for me to do so. Once I did that, then the Grace given to me by God alone came through. Does that mean I will live each day perfect? No. It just means that I have moved on from my former self, into something different. Everyday I continue to change myself, mold myself a little differently, and try so hard to come closer to the one that created me.

Today is the start of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. A year of hope and forgiveness. I pray that everyone finds peace with themselves, and gives themselves a chance to forgive everything.