We’ve all heard the first verse — but what about the second? To me, the beauty of this work is in the piece as a whole. Here are both verses together.
* * *
THE SERENITY PRAYER
Lord, Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace,
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
–Reihold Niebuhr
There is an alternate version of the second verse, which I personally find more meaningful to me:
Grant me patience with the changes that take time,
An appreciation for all that I have,
Tolerance for those with different struggles,
And the strength to get up and try again,
One day at a time.
This was written on a beautiful piece of artwork at a friend’s house. Unfortunately, there was no source for this author.
I hope that you find this as inspirational as I do!
Heather