A Father’s Prayer

               by General Douglas MacArthur

               Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough

               To know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;

               One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,

               And humble, and gentle in victory.

               Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;

               A son who will know Thee – and that to know himself is the foundation stone of

               knowledge.

               Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and

               spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;

               here let him learn compassion for those that fail.

               Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will

               master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the

               future, yet never forget the past.

               And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so

               that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him

               humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the

               open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

               Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

               ( This reflection was written by General MacArthur, during his early days in the

               Phillipines during the Pacific War, and was left as a spiritual legacy to his son

               Arthur. Made public after the general’s death in 1964.)