Tag Archive for "blessing my own death"

Posts Tagged ‘blessing my own death’

On the Day of My Death

Posted on: December 23rd, 2017 by Alden

In recent weeks, several individuals have asked for prayers for the experience dying. This is one of two new prayers in response to those requests. It’s really a love song, which is what I hope to remember in the end: the beautiful, perhaps fleeting love that sustains and blesses.

On the Day of My Death
What will I pray for
On the day of my death?
For you, dear ones, for you…

May your heart sing
And your eyes smile.
May your griefs vanish,
And your joys soar.
Let blessings light your way,
And beauty guide your journey.
Let hope carry your days,
And wisdom lift your life.

As for me,
My journey has ended.
To those I’ve harmed, I’m sorry.
To you who’ve loved me, thank you.
To all I’ve met, bless you.
To the Source of Being,
Let me return to You in peace.

Postscript: Related prayers include: “Gather Me,” “Angel of Rest,” “Remember,” “Near the End: A Meditation” and “Things Break.”

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Ouachita National Forest

Blessings Now a River: A Meditation on Death

Posted on: October 25th, 2015 by Alden

This is a difficult meditation on facing death. It’s blunt yet loving in its message, but not necessarily for someone who’s suffered a recent loss. Then again, as stark as it is in declaring the finality of death, the message is also one of consolation and love, comfort and hope.

Blessings Now a River
And one day,
You will be gone.
Simple as that.
Gone.
A blank space,
The flow of life filling the spot
Where you once were.

Or could it be
That the love once held within you
Will finally be free?
That your old container,
Now broken,
Will no longer bind you?
That your blessings now a river
Will flow freely?
That your sacred spirit
Will fill the universe?

And on that day,
You will be here.
More here than ever.
Simple as that.
Here unbounded,
As unimaginable as infinity,
As radiant as light,
A holy space most present
In this sacred place,
Here where hearts dwell.

Postscript: Here’s a link to my other prayers and meditations on death and mourning.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Blessings Now a River,” a moving new meditation on death from @ToBendLight. https://tobendlight.com/?p=13451

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Birthday, No More

Posted on: August 20th, 2015 by Alden

Here’s a prayer to be said on the birthday of a deceased loved one. My sense of sorrow and loss return on the birth dates of my dad Jack z”l and my wife Ami z”l. Word choices are separated with a slash (“/”). Optional lines appear in [brackets]. This appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. I also use this prayer on Father’s Day and, thinking of my children, on Mother’s Day.

Birthday, No More
This empty space in time,
In my heart,
Is yours dear ___________ [relationship].
It is the space for yearning,
The space of memory,
The day your light came into the world.
A day of sorrow for what was lost,
Birthdays that will never be.

This day touches
The depths of my grief and loss.
This day touches
A wound and makes it new.

G-d of generations,
Be with me [and my/our family]
As we remember what was
And what might have been.

I/We miss you.

Postscript: I’m posting this in memory of my father, born August 20, 1925. On that same date, 63 years later, he received his cancer diagnosis and died 10 days later, August 30, 1988, corresponding to 17 Elul 5748. Some of my other prayers about death include: “Near the End: A Meditation,” “On Removing a Child’s Life Support,” “Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child,” “On the Journey to My Child’s Passing,” “After Shiva” and “Shall I Cry.” Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Angel of Rest

Posted on: March 8th, 2015 by Alden

Here’s a short meditation on death, attempting to think differently about the classic image of the Angel of Death.

Angel of Rest
Then came
The Angel of Death
With gentle words
And sacred tidings.
Quiet and rest.
Gentleness and peace.
Extending a hand and a smile.
A guide.
A companion.

In the end,
We are not alone
As we rise
Into the rhythm of light,
The expanse of glory,
The illumination of holiness,
To become one with the infinite,
To become the pulse
Of the divine.

Postscript: Some of my other prayers about death include: “Near the End: A Meditation,” “On Removing a Child’s Life Support,” “Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child,” “On the Journey to My Child’s Passing,” “After Shiva” and “Shall I Cry.” Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Near the End: A Meditation (Clergy Version)

Posted on: July 14th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is meditation to prepare for the journey of death, rewritten for use by clergy with those in need. It moves gently to a place for the individual to speak to G-d, where the prayer includes an allusion to the death bed Vidui, the confessional. The prayer closes with a reading in unison, allowing the clergy member to support the individual. It is based on “Near The End: A Meditation,” which appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Near the End: A Meditation (Clergy Version)
For use by clergy with an individual near the end of life.

Clergy:
When our days fade,
And our eyes dim,
When darkness settles,
And the veil is lifted…

Together:
Remove my fear
My doubt,
My shame.
Remove my hesitation and longings,
So I may go gracefully into
The unknown,
The unknowable,
The secret tomorrow of my soul.

Clergy:
Ancient One,
Foundation and Shelter,
Cradle of life,
You wait for our return.

Individual:
Holy One,
Companion and Guide
Guardian of spirit,
I confess my weaknesses and mistakes,
My errors of judgment and
My lapses of conscience,
So that I may return to you in joyous surrender.

Together:
Source of life
Holy and exalted
You have called us to service on this earth.
You will call us back to You,
As You call all Your children,
To return from this life,
This journey,
This place of sea and sky,
Of happiness and heartbreak.
Let me go in peace.
Let me go in peace.

Postscript: Other prayers with a similar theme include: “Things Break” and a prayer to be said “Upon Entering Hospice.”

If you use this prayer, please click “like” on this page and subscribe. Please take a moment to post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Thanks. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Near the End: A Meditation

Posted on: February 20th, 2011 by tobendlight

Since death is certain, and the date of death is uncertain, what do I do to prepare? Here’s a meditation on the journey home. Listen along by clicking on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Near the End: A Meditation
When my days fade,
When my eyes dim,
When darkness settles,
And the veil is lifted,
Remove my fear
My doubt,
My shame.
Remove my hesitation and longings,
So I may go gracefully into
The unknown,
The unknowable,
The secret tomorrow of my soul.

Ancient One,
Foundation and Shelter,
Companion and Guide,
Cradle of life,
Guardian of spirit,
I confess my weaknesses and mistakes,
My errors of judgment and
My lapses of conscience,
So that I may return to You in joyous surrender.

Source of my life
Holy and exalted
You have called me to service on this earth,
You will call me back to You
As You call all Your children
To return from this life,
This journey,
This place of sea and sky,
Of happiness and heartbreak.
Let me go in peace.
Let me go in peace.

Postscript: If you liked this, try “Remember” and “Come Walk,” another prayer/poem in the voice of the spiritual traveler.

Posts Tagged ‘blessing my own death’

On the Day of My Death

Blessings Now a River: A Meditation on Death

Birthday, No More

Angel of Rest

Near the End: A Meditation (Clergy Version)

Near the End: A Meditation

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6

Your contribution helps support the creation of new prayers available to all on this site.