A Litany for Love

For my family and friends,

For all those with whom I share community,

For faith, peace, and justice,

I stand on the side of Love.

For the bold and the counter-cultural,

For those who exist at the margins of society,

For those who barely make ends meet despite working hard,

For the courageous who initiate change in the face of fierce opposition,

For those who raise their voices for the ones who have none,

For those who lead the way to a better world by quiet example,

I stand on the side of Love.

For the hungry, the cold, and the homeless,

For the troubled and the lonely,

For the generous and the encouraging,

For those who readily forgive and work toward reconciliation,

I stand on the side of Love.

For in distant lands far across the sea who suffer oppression and war,

For the soldiers and the peace activists,

For those denied an education,

For those who are denied amnesty from abusive regimes,

For those who have lost their lives or homes to natural disasters,

I stand on the side of Love.

For those species without voices who depend on us for survival,

For creatures who have lost their homes to corporate buildings,

For those who have lost their lives to poaching,

For all who need clean air and water to survive,

For all those who depend on us to provide them warm and loving homes,

I stand on the side of Love.