First I pray for people whom I love.
Over each of them I say a blessing:
"May you be safe from harm and evil,"
imagining that my words create
a protective shield of grace around them.
I think of the young . . . and recite this prayer:
"May the promise of your youth be met
and your life be fruitful."
Then I move on to the people I dislike
and the people who dislike me.
Over each of them I say this prayer:
"May you and I be friends some day,"
imagining some future scene
where this comes to pass.
Finally I say to each of the people I care for: "May my time with you be a grace for both of us."
I come back to my heart now to rest awhile
in the silence that I find there . . .
and in the love that has come alive in me
as a consequence of my prayer for others . . .