[LM_NET] SHARE: Three Cups of Tea and a Prayer

[Barbara Braxton <barbara.288@BIGPOND.COM>]

I have had many messages affirming the power of the book Three Cups of Tea, as well 
as several
requests for the Prayer for the 21st Century that my students wrote.  So I am 
sharing it here ...

In 1999, my Year 4, 5 and 6 students read and discussed John Marsden's "Prayer for 
the 21st Century"
as part of our Library and Literature lessons.  Then they were asked , "If you 
could add one more
page to this book, what would message would it have?"  I combined the responses 
into a new prayer
(which I shared with John Marsden who shared it with his elderly dad and it was 
published in a WWII
vets' newsletter.  This is what the children wrote ...

May we all have a safe journey
And may our journeys take us to where we want to go.
May we be forgiven for the wrong turns we have taken.
May we all have a place in our hearts for each other.
May those who live in darkness, find their way into the sun.
May the blind be able to see, the deaf be able to hear,
And those who can't walk, run.
May our earth stay beautiful, the seas filled with fish, the gardens filled with 
flowers 
and the sky filled with sunlight.
May the pins stay in the grenades.
May the guns remain unused.
May the bombs stay unexploded.
May the wars end.
May the unlucky have some luck
And the lucky realise the luck they have,
May everyone's nightmares end.
May everyone's dreams come true.
May we all share the joy of loving and living.
May every thought be free, every problem solved.
May the worst turn out to be good.
May there be lots of fun and laughter, especially for the children.
May friendship be plentiful.
May we all think of others before we think of ourselves.
May we all live with knowledge, understanding, respect, tolerance and harmony.
May we all share the joy and love of our family and friends.
May we be not forgotten and may we not forget others.
May the angels not lift us up early.
May the world live on in peace forever.

It is one of the most significant pieces of writing that I did with my students in 
30+ years of
teaching.
Barbara

Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA

E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together we learn from each other 

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