With open heart, I am sorry

* I received this on my way to the train the other day.  I share this with you.*

I stand before you with heart, eyes and hands open wide.  As I look into your eyes, I look into your heart; and I pray:

To the nine year old girl, who was touched by her uncle or another, and no one believed her or protected her,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the eleven year old boy, who was touched by his uncle or another, and no one believed him or protected him,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the thirteen year old girl, who never knew love, never felt love or loved, and never heard love, and who gave her love to the one who lied about loving her,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the three year old boy who cried because that is what little boys do when they are hurt, but was told “big boys don’t cry”,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the seventeen year old girl who tried everything to be seen, because she believed that if they would see her they would love her, but no one did,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the mother and father who sacrificed their dreams so that the children would have food, a bed and clothes, a dream and a chance, but forgot that their own dreams deserved nourishment too,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the one who’s body is battling and dancing with an imbalance that appears as disease, and who serenades themselves to sleep with the song “God I loved you, why is this happening to me, what did I do wrong?”,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the one who is trying everything they know how to find their way to familiar waters of their heart, and to peace, truth and love, but are exhausted from running into roadblocks, dark alleys and brick walls, because their direction was stolen,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the one who looks in the mirror every day and several times a day hoping to find beautiful, handsome or good-looking but sees not because their beautiful, handsome or good-looking was denied long before they were born,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the one who rises every day in routine praise of a God that was taught to them or beat into them, rather than the God of their spirit and heart,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the one who has yet to find the voice of their song, the rhythm of their heart or the words of their story because they were told “No you have none!”,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

To the author of this prayer who was called to speak the pain of his heart, and the hurt of the hearts of humanity,

            I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you.

 Rev. Anthony Farmer

Copyright © 2013 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved