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Archive for the ‘Healing’ Category

Grouchy, a Love Prayer

Posted on: November 9th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is written to be a reminder of love when love has been temporarily forgotten. It’s to be used when kindness and care have been set on the sidelines as the result of a bad mood or a bad moment.

Grouchy, a Love Prayer
Dear one,
Heart of my heart,
I am grouchy today/now.
I’m sorry.
It’s not my intent
To treat you with disregard
Or disrespect.
It’s not my desire
To dismiss you,
Your care or your work.
This moment, I’m not at my best.
I know your dedication and your friendship.
I know your affection.
I know your kindness.
Thank you for your understanding
And willingness to forgive.
Thank you for your presence.
Thank you for your compassion.

G-d of wisdom,
Help me to soften
My words and my deeds
So I may show up in the life
Of my husband/wife/partner
With the fullness of heart.
Give me the willingness to be gentle and kind
To myself and others.
Let me always see him/her
With the eyes of love.

Postscript: Here are more prayers about love: “For New Love,” “Blessing for a Spouse/Partner,” “A Heart of Love,” “Let Love” and “Finding My Beshert.”

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Photo Source: Tumblr User tumblr18

Grieving the Living

Posted on: October 11th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is for those grieving the emotional or spiritual loss of someone still living: a parent whose child no longer wants a relationship, or a teen whose parents have been lost in alcoholism for years. The idea was sparked when I heard a young woman in a support group say: “You people who’ve lost loved ones, you’re lucky. Some of us have lost our parents, but they’re still living. At least you can grieve and get on with it. We just go on suffering the loss with the ridiculous hope that one day things will get better.” Optional lines appear [in brackets]. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers from the Heart of Darkness.

Grieving the Living
G-d of Old,
Grief holds me,
Sadness deep in my bones,
A yearning to fill the hole
In my broken heart.
[My parents, who do not love.]
[My child, who cut me off.]
[My friend, who disappeared.]
[My brother, a river of anger.],
[My sister, a well of judgment.]
[My ______, who _________.]

This longing for what has never been,
For what [may/can] never be,
Consumes me.
How can I move beyond this sorrow
When I still can hope?
How can I move beyond this pain
When I can still dream?
[I wonder,
Wouldn’t my life be better
If he/she/they were dead, G-d forbid?
I could grieve and move on.
Then my guilt and shame set in.]

G-d of Wisdom,
Teach me to let go
Of false hopes and empty promises
So I can trust again, love again, hope again.
Teach me to accept my past as it was
So I can embrace a richer tomorrow.
Teach me to release my anger and pain
So that I may lead a life of awe and wonder,
Full of joy and laughter.

Blessed are You, Creator of life,
You heal the broken spirit with love.

Postscript: Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers, many of which appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: Sasha Wolf/Wikimedia Commons

Cursing toward Heaven

Posted on: August 15th, 2014 by Alden

G-d hears prayer. Some would say that G-d listens, with special attention, to the prayers of a suffering heart. This prayer rails to heaven with sorrow and anger, but never loses faith in G-d’s desire to hear even our most heart-wrenching woes. For some, the prayer may be too raw or too blunt. For others, it may be a gateway to a powerful conversation with G-d. In that sense, it is about releasing sorrow and anger to make space for holiness and love.

Cursing toward Heaven
G-d of Old,
Well of understanding,
Source of compassion,
I call out to You as witness
To my sorrow and my fear,
My anger and my pain.

Damn cancer.
Damn abuse.
Damn violence.
Damn rape.
Damn hit and run.
Damn alcoholism.
Damn Alzheimer’s.
Damn Parkinson’s.
Damn war.
Damn terror.
Damn torture.
Damn hunger.
Damn greed.
Damn abduction.
Damn _____________.
Damn _____________.
Damn _____________.

Oh sorrow and grief,
Too present in our days,
You will not win my life.
For my G-d listens to the aching heart.
My G-d listens to the suffering soul.
My G-d yearns to heal
All who cry out from the depths of despair.

Blessed are You, G-d of Old,
Who hears prayer.

Postscript: Other prayers about difficult emotions include: “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger,” “Shame” and “Witnessing: A Meditation.”

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: WikiMedia Commons

Children of Gaza, Children of Israel

Posted on: August 2nd, 2014 by Alden

This is a new prayer for peace, a prayer about love, a prayer that sees the beauty in all children. For more than two weeks, people have been asking for a prayer focused on the children here in Israel caught in this war. It took longer to conceive than I expected. I hope you find meaning in it. It has a similar intention as my prayer “For Peace in the Middle East.” It also fits nicely with two prayers I wrote on behalf of the CCAR Solidarity Mission to Israel.

Children of Gaza, Children of Israel
Dear Children,
What can we say to you in times of war?
What can we say when you run for shelter, not for joy,
When you hide, not to seek, but huddle in fear?
No, it is not a game when you
Cry tears of dread in the night.

O grief,
O war and terror,
You have stolen our children.
You have stolen our rest.
And now you wish to steal our hope
In tomorrow.

Children of Gaza and Israel,
We pray for you to find each other,
In laughter and friendship,
Before someone teaches you
Anger and hatred,
While you are still pure with
Curiosity and wonder.

Children of Israel and Gaza,
We pray for you to find comfort
In the cradle of your mothers’ arms,
In the bosom of quiet and peace,
Without rocket or mortar to break
The gentle stillness of the air,
The lovely silence of the night.

One G-d,
Maker of All,
Is this too much to ask?
Is this too much to dream?
That one day all children of the world
Will run with glee toward one another,
Will hold hands together in delight,
To skip and twirl and dance
To the rhythms of peace?

Postscript: This prayer is very much “in the moment,” being focused on Gaza and Israel. I also plan to write and post a more general prayer for all children of war. My prayer “For Peace in the Middle East” appears in a new compilation “The Hope: American Voices in Support of Israel.” Proceeds of the sale of that book go to the Lone Soldier Center. Thanks to my friend Michele Chabin for her comments on an earlier draft of this prayer. Here are two more prayers about our children: “They Were Boys: A Yizkor Prayer,” written in memory of Gil-ad Shaer, Iyal Yifrah and Naftali Fraenkel, z”l, and “Another Boy Lost: A Jewish Yizkor for an Arab Son” written in memory of Muhammad Abu Khdeir. For more prayers about Israel, please click here.

Photo Source: Debbi Cooper Photography

Simple Prayer for Healing, Revised

Posted on: July 27th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is basic, direct, to the point. Heal and comfort those in need. And heal the world of suffering and strife. It’s a prayer for moments when less is more. Like now. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers for Healing the World. I added the third stanza this morning.

Simple Prayer for Healing, Revised
G-d, grant Your healing power
To all in need,
Those of whom I know,
______________ [list names]
And those unknown to me.

G-d, grant Your comfort and consolation
To all who grieve,
Those of whom I know,
______________ [list names]
And those unknown to me.

Holy One,
Bring a swift end to suffering and strife,
And the heal the world
With Your steadfast love.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
Ruler of the universe,
Who lifts up the fallen.

Postscript: The war touches everything here. Which is why I added the third stanza. Here are prayers for “R’fuat HaNefesh” and “For Healing the Spirit.” Please check out my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Simple Prayer for Healing

Posted on: June 24th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is basic, direct, to the point. Please G-d, heal and comfort those in need. It’s a prayer for moments when less is more. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers for Healing the World.

Simple Prayer for Healing
G-d, grant Your healing power
To all in need,
Those whom I know,
______________ [list names],
And those unknown to me.

G-d, grant Your comfort and consolation
To all who grieve,
Those whom I know,
______________ [list names],
And those unknown to me.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
Ruler of the universe,
Who lifts up the fallen.

Postscript: Please check out my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: NASA

My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds

Posted on: April 23rd, 2014 by Alden

This is a difficult prayer for parents and children facing a horrible set of addictions: self-injury. This can often manifest as “cutting” or a food addiction. I’ve included a broad set of self-destructive behaviors in the choices suggested for this prayer, which appear in [brackets] including alcohol, drugs and sex. This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds
How deep is the pain,
G-d of Old,
That my daughter/son/child
Commits acts of violence against his/her/their own body
With [food][a blade][alcohol][drugs][sex]?
I call out to You
From the depths of confusion and fear.
What balm will ease this suffering?
What consolation will guide her/his/their journey
Back to wholeness, to self-respect, to love?

G-d of healing,
Bless my child
__________________________ (full name)
With comfort and well-being,
Solace and relief.
Grant healing of mind,
Healing of body,
And healing of spirit.
Teach me to see her/him/them through Your eyes,
Eyes of love.
And teach her/him/them to see the world through Your eyes,
As a place of joy and adventure.

Well of Hope,
Grant __________________________ (first name)
The ability to be gentle and forgiving of herself/himself/themself.
Lead her/him/them to new ways of expression,
On a path to happiness and peace.

Postscript: Other prayers for mental health include: “My Depression” and “Mental Illness.” Each of them appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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: Swarthmore College Bulletin

My Depression

Posted on: April 10th, 2014 by Alden

This is a prayer to be said by someone facing the hopelessness and debilitation of depression. According to statistics, 80 percent of people facing depression are untreated. This prayer can be customized to the particular issues facing an individual. Word choices are shown in [brackets], but are only illustrative. Please include whatever description is needed to help you with your particular situation. This prayer and three others on addiction and mental illness appear in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

My Depression
I have fallen into blackness,
A hole,
A cave without light.
How deep is this pain?
This loneliness?
This suffering and isolation?

G-d of Old,
I call out to You
From the depths of confusion and fear.
What balm will ease my suffering?
What consolation will guide me?
I am afraid and ashamed.
I am sad and lost.

G-d of healing,
Be the light that guides me
Back to myself,
Back to my joy,
Back to my holiness and wonder.
Help me to stop committing acts of violence against myself
With [self-abuse][anger][shame][food][a blade][alcohol][drugs][sex].
I know Your healing power,
Your salvation and grace.
Lead me on a journey
Back to wholeness and to self-respect.
Help me to live a life of happiness and love.

Postscript: Here’s a prayer to be said on behalf of some facing “Mental Illness.” This also appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

My Illness, My Children

Posted on: April 6th, 2014 by Alden

Here’s a prayer to be said by an ill parent worried about how witnessing the disease will impact his or her children. A challenge in writing this piece: striking a tone that encompasses the experiences of both younger and older children. This is the main reason for the built-in flexibility in structure and use of this prayer, providing optional inserts for meditation on each individual child’s needs in this time of stress, uncertainty and potential trauma. This prayer appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

My Illness, My Children
My G-d,
In the days ahead,
The weeks and the months,
I will face challenges as the result of _________ [insert type of surgery or name of disease].
My heart and my hopes,
My love and my questions,
Also turn toward my children.
How will the experience of my [surgery][illness][condition]
Shape their lives?
What will they learn?
What beliefs will they take in?

Grant me the ability to care for my children,
Even as they yearn to provide support and understanding for me.
Let me be a source of love,
A light of comfort,
A lamp of hope,
A well of blessings.

[Optional insert: Repeat the following paragraph for each child]
Bless my child ___________ [insert name]
Who _____________ [insert thoughts about what he/she is feeling now]
With _____________ [insert specific concerns and prayer for that child].

G-d of health and healing,
Watch over my children
In their hour of need.
Let our love for each other
Shine brightly through the days ahead,
A testimony to your Holy Name.

Postscript: There are a wide variety on health and healing at a time of critical illness in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, including seven prayers about surgery, among them: “For Surgery” and “Upon Recovery from Surgery,”

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. If you like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Trouble during Pregnancy (for both Mother and Child)

Posted on: March 13th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is to be said by a pregnant woman when, G-d forbid, medical concerns arise during her pregnancy. Contrast it with this prayer to be said “When a High-Risk Pregnancy is Confirmed (women).” This new prayer is for specific moments of medical danger, while both of the high-risk pregnancy prayers – including one to be said by men — are general: they are meant to be said before specific medical issues manifest in the pregnancy. Options for personalizing the prayer appear in [brackets].

Trouble during Pregnancy (for both Mother and Child)
G-d of old,
I call out to you in my distress.
The child I carry is in danger.
So am I.
Our lives,
So connected, so dependent,
[May be / Are / Appear to be] in danger.

Save this child
So that a baby comes to me in the fullness of health.
Preserve my life,
So that I may continue this journey of motherhood
To nurture and guide [him / her / a baby / another generation]
In the light of Your wisdom and Your ways.
Grant my doctors and nurses the wisdom and skill
To see us through this treacherous time.
Grant us the fullness of love
And the fullness of years.
We are in Your hands.

Blessed are You, Source of life.

Postscript: Eight prayers on pregnancy and fertility appear in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, although this is not one of them. They include a prayer to be said by a woman in fertility treatment, another for a man in fertility treatment and one to be said “To a Spouse/Partner during Fertility Treatments.” Others include “For Pregnancy,” “Loss of Pregnancy” and “Loss of Pregnancy (Husband/Partner).” This is a Prayer “For Adoption.”

Photo Source: Perinatal Services BC

Archive for the ‘Healing’ Category

Grouchy, a Love Prayer

Grieving the Living

Cursing toward Heaven

Children of Gaza, Children of Israel

Simple Prayer for Healing, Revised

Simple Prayer for Healing

My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds

My Depression

My Illness, My Children

Trouble during Pregnancy (for both Mother and Child)

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