May They

May they greet the passage of time with equanimity and a sense that each era as much 'belongs' to them as the era of their young adulthood. May they greet the inevitable recession into the past of beloved features of the present era without a tragic degree of nostalgia. May they greet each inevitable new challenge or difficulty of whatever kind with purpose, poise, grace, wisdom and love. May they rise above the inevitable friction that occurs between family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and all those with whom we interact. May they meet rivalry, competitiveness, insults, mockery, passive-aggressiveness, and all forms of hostility, subtle or direct, of any volume or amount, with poise and compassion. May they respond to discrimination and prejudice with authentic friendliness and an undisturbed heart. May they find in themselves a perspective from which they can maintain genuinely good spirits, in the face of life's inevitable difficulties. May they be at peace, with themselves, with those around them, and with the rest of the world.