Dear Editor:

I kept the following for many years. It is from a clipping that my mother, Ann Margaret Petersen Larson, carried in her purse. The author is unknown. Those I read it to in church recently got a kick out of it.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older.

Keep me from becoming talkative and possessed with the idea that I must express myself on every subject.

Release me from the craving to straighten out everyone’s affairs.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless detail and give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips when I am inclined to tell of my aches and pains. They are increasing with the years, and my love to speak of them grows sweeter as time goes by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.

Make me thoughtful, but not nosy; helpful, but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom and experience, it does seem a pity not to use it all. But thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb