Pencils perhaps are kind of passe, but this picture with it's stand-out red pencil made me think of my thirteen-year-old friend, Katie, and the standout poem-prayer she wrote for the start of school. Parents and grandparents might care to share it with the young people they know.
O Lord,
I thank you for the great things you have given me over this past summer.
I pray that in this school year, I will spread the message of Jesus through my actions and my words.
I pray that I will grow as a person, and as believer, and that I will learn many new things, especially about my faith.
I hope I will build better relationships with my friends and my peers, and that I will grow closer to God.
I pray that I will make a change for the better in my community and the world.
I pray that even though I am young, I will see that I have the ability to make a positive impact.
I pray I will always be kind and accepting of others, have courage in myself and faith in Jesus.
Allow me to never take school for granted, and help me to see the opportunity to learn not as a burden, but a gift that many children will never get.
I pray this school year will be filled with blessings, for myself, my family, my school and the world. Amen.
