Secular Invocation

" This Monday morning as we gather, I wish to thank you for your wise and thoughtful leadership: for giving of your time, for your patience and service to El Paso.

The nature of our humanity makes our time a valuable commodity, and patience the gift we give others. 

The human condition is the great leveler. It makes us humble. Being human gives us empathy. We understand pain and loss, and that happiness comes from within. 

Our humanity levels the playing field due to the inevitable forces of nature: the need for water and food and sleep: the limitations of age and health. We identify with the struggles of others. We share in the need for love, comfort and rest.

Our individual journeys traverse a parallel path. We are each bound by the existential nature of our shared humanity and of life's expectations, recognizing that we are all in this together. 

We know and accept that our spiritual guide: the deity, or the power that guides us and speaks to our soul, matters only to each of us as an individual. That which brings us comfort, wholeness and hope is ours alone. 

May you go in love and light. May you guide with an easy hand, teach with gentleness; 

and follow with open-mindedness and a desire to understand.

May you have the courage to be vulnerable and to accept dissent.

May your honesty come from integrity, and your goodness be true and consistent.

Have a wonderful week. "