First a prayer for folks over 50 who are cranky, then a story about prayer which will make you think, hopefully.

— THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

———————
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm
at sea and only two of the men on it were
able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to
do,agree that they had no other recourse
but to pray to God. However, to find out
whose prayer was more powerful, they
agreed to divide the territory between them
and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing the first man prayed for
was food. The next morning, the first man
saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the
land, and he was able to eat its fruit.

The other man’s parcel of land remained
barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and
he decided to pray for a wife. The next
day, another ship was wrecked, and the only
survivor was a woman who swam to his side
of the land.

On the other side of the island,there was
nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house,
clothes, more food. The next day, like
magic,all of these were given to him.

However,the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so
that his wife and he could leave the island.
In the morning, he found a ship docked at
his side of the island.

The first man boarded the ship with his wife
and decided to leave the second man on the
island. He considered the other man unworthy
to receive God’s blessings,since none of his
prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man
heard a voice from Heaven booming,

“Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one
who prayed for them,” the first man answered.
“His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does
not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him.
“He had only one prayer, which I answered.
If not for that, you would not have received
any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice,
“what did he pray for that I should owe him
anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”
———–

For all we know, our blessings are not the
fruits of our prayers alone, but those of
another praying for us.