A Mother's Prayer

All this day, O Lord
let me touch as many lives as possible for thee;
and every life I touch
do thou by thy spirit quicken
whether through the word I speak,
the prayer I breathe, 
or the life I live.
Amen

Born near Manchester in 1828, Mary Sumner [nee Heywood] was the vicar's wife who founded the Mothers' Union.
She believed that if Christian women worked and prayed together, the life of the nation could be transformed.
I found this little plate, bearing the words of her personal daily prayer, in a charity shop a few months ago.
I keep it on my dressing table to hold ear-rings other bits of jewellery, and loose change. When I am get ready to face the day, I often re-read the words and echo her prayer.