Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/564

 113 STAT. 2082 PROCLAMATION 7194—MAY 5, 1999 gogues, temples, and their own homes for guidance, wisdom, and courage in confronting the challenges before us. We can pray openly thanks to the religious freedom guaranteed for us by the First Amendment to the Constitution. That freedom and the diversity of faiths it has fostered are among America's most important achievements. They have made our Nation a beacon for generations of people from aroimd the world who have traveled here seeking to worship according to their conscience without fear of coercion or constraint. On this National Day of Prayer, observed so soon after the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, and the tornadoes that devastated communities in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, we are more keenly aware than ever of the power and solace we find in prayer. Throughout the days that have followed the deaths of and injury to so many of our fellow citizens, Americans have united in prayer for those who died or were harmed, for the comfort and peace of their families, for the wisdom to heal our society, and for the strength to overcome such tragedies. For as Martin Luther King, Jr., so eloquently said, "When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe... a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows." The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, has called on ouj citizens to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society and to honor the religious diversity our freedom permits by recognizing annually a "National Day of Prayer." NOW, THEREFORE, 1. WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 1999, as a National Day of Prayer. I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to pray, each in his or her own manner, seeking strength from God to face the problems of today, requesting guidance for the uncertainties of tomorrow, and giving thanks for the rich blessings that our country has enjoyed throughout its history. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7194 of May 5, 1999 Mother's Day 1999 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation There is nothing more precious than the bond between a mother and her child. With unconditional love and infinite patience, our mothers nurtmre us throughout our hves, helping us to meet life's challenges and achieve our dreams. Mothers—whether biological or adoptive, foster or stepmothers—are the cornerstones of our families, and our fami-

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