Nancy Hepner Goodman

The Serenity Prayer hung in Dad’s workshop in the house where I grew up.  The ornate, 4 “x 6” ceramic plate, sandwiched between gray nails, sand paper and hammers, jumped out from the wall when you came through the doorway. 

Written by Reinhold Niebuhr in 1932-33, the prayer became popular in church groups in the 1930s, and was circulated to soldiers on printed cards during World War II.  Later, in the 1950s it was commonly used in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step treatment groups.

My dad died long ago, but at one point through the years, I grabbed his Serenity Prayer from the abandoned shop, placing it in my own workshop--the quiet basement. Instead of circular saws, and power drills, the prayer sits near the Bernia sewing machine and various quilts under construction.

My father drew strength from these words, perhaps as an officer in World War II, or as a recovered alcoholic, sober for the 30 years I knew him.