Hamilton Gardens

Pilgrim God,

Equip me for the trip.

Be with me on the hardest journey–

the inner journey into nothingness.

Let me not veer from this path.

Let me not become deterred

by hardship, fear, strangeness, doubt.

Show me the steps I must take

toward a wealth not dependent on possessions,

toward a wisdom not based on books,

toward a strength not bolstered by might,

toward a true self not falsely masked,

toward a care for creation not based on pillage,

toward a God not confined to heaven.

Help me to find you deep down within

as well as in the stardust of others and your creation.

Help me to find myself as I walk in other’s shoes.

Help me to know that you are the Love within

and remove all obstacles to Love shining through.

You alone are my walking stick—

You are above me and below me,

In front of me and behind me,

Within me and without me,

As I tread the unknown path

To now-here.

Adapter by J. Patrick Mahon from “Prayer Song from Ghana,”

In Christine Valtners Paintner, The Soul of the Pilgrim, 40.