A Bedtime Prayer

If I should die
Before I rise,
I pray the Lord
Give you my eyes.
To see the world
The way I do,
To see what's right,
To know what's true.
To laugh at loss,
To smile at pain;
To stare them down
And start again.
To see the weak
And see the poor,
And find a way
To give them more.
To see when you
Should charge ahead;
To see when you
Should wait instead.
To watch for love,
To sidestep hate;
To be yourself,
Not imitate.
To see that God
Is next to you,
And that He sees
All that you do --
Sees what I see
When I see you.
If I should die
Before I rise,
I pray the Lord
Give you my eyes.

If you should live
For many days,
I pray the Lord
Will guide your ways.
To keep your feet
Upon the trail,
To help you meet
The test, not fail.
To show you how
A man should walk,
And how his talk
Should match his walk.
To find your way
Among the rocks,
Around the doves,
And past the hawks.
Never driven
By ticking clocks;
Never shut out
By man-made locks.
Never to quit,
Never to fail,
Always nearer
To your grail.
Always gentle,
Forever sweet;
Finding the good
In all you meet --
Including me --
On golden streets.
If you should live
For many days,
I pray the Lord
Will guide your ways.