God, source of all compassion,
I thank you for the opportunity
To honor my parent
By caring for her/him/them
As they age.
Grant me the strength
To integrate this caring role
Into my already busy life.
Help me embody your
Abundant love and compassion.
May I always appreciate
The blessings within this responsibility –
Moments of laughter and love, of caring and connection.
Allow me to remember the good in my relationship with my parent.
May we lovingly share our memories.
And may I be patient
At those times
When their memory fails.
Support me in finding
Time and space
To care for myself
Even as I care for them.
Allow me to hold on to love and optimism
Even as my parent declines,
And may I be at peace at the end,
whenever it may come,
knowing I have done all that I could.
Blessed are You, God, who turns the hearts of parents toward children, and the hearts of children toward parents.
