Upon 20 years as a psychotherapist and 45 years on the planet, I continue finding strength in the Serenity Prayer by Karl Neigbuhr (scroll down). In the past year, significant personal losses brought the value of this prayer to the forefront of my daily coping. I created the following adaptation that I’d like to share, as a wish for all of you: my clients, colleagues, friends and family members…
May I have the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change: missing loved ones, regretting lost opportunities, conflicts, uncertainty, the actions of others, my limitations, adversity, and injustice.
May I have the courage and humility to change what is in my hands: my emotions, my expectations, my attachments, my habits, my allocation of energy, my intentions and my actions.
May I express my gratitude and love to those around me and Mother Earth.
May I live in harmony.
I also invite you to enjoy my adapted Parents’ Serenity at my free parent handouts.
The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept
the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
By Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr, 1926.
Niebuhr was a Lutheran pastor and theologian.