A Prayer

 May you get a clean bill of health from your
 dentist, your cardiologist,
 your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, 
 your proctologist, your gynecologist,
 your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your
 plumber and the IRS

 May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift,
 your abs and your stocks not fall; and may 
 your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your
 cholesterol, your white blood count
 and your mortgage interest not rise.

 May you find a way to travel from anywhere 
 to anywhere in the rush hour in less than 
 an hour, and when you get there may you find
 a parking space.

 May you wake up on January 1st, finding that
 the world has not come to an end, the lights
 work, the water faucets flow, and the sky has
 not fallen.

 May you go to the bank on Monday morning,
 January 3rd and find your account is in order,
 your money is still there and any mistakes
 are in your favor.

 May you ponder on January 4th,  How did this
 ultramodern civilization of ours manage to get
 itself traumatized by a possible slip of a blip
 on a chip made out of sand.

 May God give you the strength to go through a
 year of presidential campaigning, and may 
 some of the promises made be kept.  May you
 believe at least half of what the candidates
 propose, and may those elected fulfill at
 least half of what they promise, and the
 miracle of reducing taxes and balancing
 budgets happen.

 May you be awe struck by God's sense of
 humor as you wrestle with the possibility
 that a professional wrestler could become
 president of the United States.

 May what you see in the mirror delight you,
 and what others see in you delight them.

 May someone love you enough to forgive your
 faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell
 the world about your virtues.

 May the telemarketers wait to make their sales
 calls until you finish dinner, and may your
 check book and your budget balance, and may
 they include generous amounts for charity.

 May you remember to say "I love you" at least
 once a day to your spouse, your child, your
 parent; but not to your secretary, your nurse,
 your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis
 instructor.

 May you live as if the Lord is coming tomorrow,
 in a world at peace with the awareness of God's
 love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding
 petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss,
 and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous
 beat of your heart.

                Amen.