It is not the young man who is most happy, but the old man who has lived beautifully; for despite being at his very peak the young man stumbles around as if he were of many minds, whereas the old man has settled into old age as if in a harbor, secure in his gratitude for the good things he was once unsure of.
Flannery O’Connor’s Androgynous Prayer from the Emory University collection.
Oh universe which is the all of being–reverence to you–your rule be known–and acceded to in darkness as in light. Feed us by the truth of our need. Let us not be deluded that we may transgress or be transgressed upon. Deliver us from the violence of the false. Amen.
I was reminded of this when I read a 1949 Time article about Death Be Not Proud. The author’s dying son comes up with an “Unbeliever’s Prayer”:
Almighty God forgive me for my agnosticism; For I shall try to keep it gentle, not
cynical, nor a bad influence. And O! if Thou art truly in the heavens, accept my gratitude for all Thy gifts and I shall try to fight the good fight. Amen.
Her bottom is so beautiful that once as she crossed the room to the cooler I felt my eyes smart with tears of gratitude.
The life I have chosen gives me my full hours of enjoyment for the balance of my life. The Sun will not rise, or set, without my notice, and thanks.
Mark Larson 