Let Us Not Forget To Be Kind

"It is always here and now, there is always the present moment to do the very best we can with, and the future depends on how those moments are spent."
― Janet Erskine Stuart, Religious of the Sacred Heart

Yesterday, I attended a women's retreat at my daughters' school, which is also my alma mater.  The school is run by the Religious of the Sacred Heart, a religious order founded in France in 1800 by a visionary woman named Madeleine Sophie Barat who believed in educational excellence for girls.

During part of the retreat, we focused on the life of Janet Erskine Stuart, whose centenary is being celebrated this year and next.  A thoughtful educator and prolific writer, Mother Stuart was the sixth Superior General of the Society.  Her wisdom and spirituality continue to inspire and guide Sacred Heart educators and students.  The following is a prayer by Mother Stuart:

Keep us, O God, from all pettiness.

Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.

Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off all self-seeking. 

May we put away all pretense and meet each other face-to-face,

Without self-pity and without prejudice.

May we never be hasty in judgment, always generous.

Let us take time for all things, and make us grow calm, serene and gentle.

Teach us to put into action our better impulses, to be straight-forward and unafraid.

Grant that we may realize that it is the little things of life that create differences,

That in the big things of life we are one.

 And, Lord, God, let us not forget to be Kind.