Photo credit: National Geographic, Joplin MO, May 2011

"O Thou who Thyself art everlasting Mercy, give me a tender heart today towards all those to whom the morning light brings less joy than it bring to me.

Those in whom the pulse of life grows weak;
Those who must lie abed through all the hours of the day;
The overworked, who have no joy of leisure;
The unemployed, who have no joy of labour;
The bereaved, whose hearts and homes are desolate.

Grant Thy mercy on them all."

~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie