A New Year’s Greeting – Reverend William D. Smith

Text below was printed in a religious periodical called “The Christian Work and Evangelist” in January 1904.

I wish you Health enough to make work a pleasure;
Wealth enough to supply all necessary needs;
Grit enough to battle with difficulty and overcome it;
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them;
and Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.

I wish you a Cheerfulness that shall make others glad;
a Charity that shall see some good in your neighbor;
a Love that shall move you to be useful and helpful;
a Faith that shall make real the things of God;
and a Hope that shall remove all anxious fear concerning the Future.

I wish you the Dignity which befits the children of God;
the Humility which is needed in every follower of Christ;
the Prayerfulness which develops and enriches the soul;
the Push and Progress which were manifested in the life and labors of our Saviour;
and the Piety and Perseverance which come from the abiding presence and influence of the Divine Spirit.