Tag Archive for "death" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘death’

A Dream of Columbine: Psalm of Protest 13

Posted on: February 2nd, 2019 by Alden

The massacre at Columbine High school took place more than 20 years ago. And still, we have school shooting after school shooting. This Psalm of Protest, listing school shootings, imagines that those schools stand as witness against all gun violence, as witness against all mass murder. See also, “Against Gun Violence” and “In Memorium: Sandy Hook.”

Addendum: Written in 2019, this has been updated on May 25, 2022, to include Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas.

A Dream of Columbine: Psalm of Protest 13
A dream of Columbine High School,
When the U.S. was beset by guns.
Red with blood,
A dream of Thurston High, Red Lake High and Virginia Tech.
Wet with tears,
A nightmare of Sandy Hook and Robb Elementary.
A lament of guns and death,
At NIU, Marshall County High, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, Santa Fe High and Saugus High.
Crying out
With so many others,
Too many dead,
So many wounded and scarred.
Crying out,
O Columbine!
How long? How long? How long?

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Postscript: See also: “Psalms of Protest 1, and 3,” Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6,” “Psalms of Protest 7-10,” “#MeToo, No More: Psalm of Protest 11” and “Psalm of Protest 12.”

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Photo Source: NBC12

Tender End of Life Vidui

Posted on: May 21st, 2018 by Alden

A confessional prayer at the end of life, from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. Here are more memorial and yizkor prayers, including meditations near the end of life.

Tender End of Life Vidui
I did the best I could,
At least some of the time,
And more often as I got wiser.
My best got better,
And my shortfalls became more obvious.
This I ask of You, my G-d,
And of you, my friends and family,
And of any creatures or persons whom I’ve harmed:
Forgive me.
Release me from guilt.
Release me from my transgression.
Release my from my mistakes.
In forgiving me,
You help me forgive myself,
So I may pass from this world
With a greater measure of comfort and reassurance.
It is too late for me to do more,
And I ask with a heart of sincerity.

G-d of our mothers and fathers,
G-d of generations,
M’kor chayim
Source of life,
May it be Your will that my passing be in peace.

!שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ יי אֶחָד
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!
Hear, O Israel! Adonai is our God! Adonai is One!

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Postscript: Vidui means ‘confession.’

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

For Those Who Die Young

Posted on: April 27th, 2018 by Alden

Ten. Ten dead young people are dead who shouldn’t be. A hiking tragedy in the land I love, in the canyons that I hike, led by adults who should have known better than to be there on a day when flash floods were predicted. In several separate incidents, five others were also lost in floods. We mourn them all. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

For Those Who Die Young
G-d of secrets,
G-d of my heart,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
My _____________________ (relationship),
Whose life was cut off too soon.
Help us to remember his / her wisdom, talents and skills,
The joy, laughter, and tears,
And our moments together.
Let these memories continue to bless us
Even as we pray for him / her to find peace
In the world-to-come.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

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Photo Source: Facebook

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.”

Photo Source: Ouachita National Forest

After a Sudden Death

Posted on: October 8th, 2017 by Alden

This is a prayer of grief and loss after the sudden death of a dear one. See also: “Angel of Rest,” “Birthday No More” and “Hard Mournings.”

After a Sudden Death
It happened so fast.
You were here. Now gone.
We had joy. Now loss.
We celebrated. Now we mourn.

How fragile is each breath?
How uncertain is each hour?
How precious is each day?
How brief is one life?

God of generations,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To ___________________ (name),
My/our ________________ (mother, husband, partner, sister, friend etc.),
Who has left this life and this world too soon.
Oh, to still be with you
In this beauty and wonder.
Oh, to hear your voice,
To hold your hand,
To sit beside you.

Source and Shelter,
Loving Guide of the bereaved,
In this darkness,
In this void that seems beyond repair,
Bless us with solace and comfort
As we remember his/her love and his/her heart,
Our joy, laughter and tears.
Let these memories continue to bless us,
Even as we pray for him/her to find peace
In the world to come.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Click here for a list of my other memorial and yizkor prayers.

Photo Source: AbsFreePic.com

Travel after an Unexpected Death

Posted on: July 2nd, 2017 by Alden

This is a prayer to be said upon traveling to attend a funeral after an unexpected death. The blank line is for inserting the name of the deceased. This appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Travel After an Unexpected Death
Today,
God of Old,
Is a day I never imagined
And never prepared to face.

God of the bereaved,
Bless us as we come together
At this moment of desolation and despair.
Give me the presence of mind
To be a source of wisdom and strength
In this hour of need.
Bless my/our family with consolation and endurance,
Comfort and peace.

God of old,
Bless the soul of __________________________ (full name).
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See also, “Travel to an Unexpected Family Emergency.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Death of a Horrible Relative

Posted on: February 12th, 2017 by Alden

When family members die, we strive to remember the best moments of their lives. We must also recognize the complexity of mourning when a person has suffered trauma at hand of a newly-departed relative. Although a response to death, this is a personal prayer of healing. It is intended for private use. Optional verses appear in [brackets]. Alternative word choices are separated with a slash (“/”).

Death of a Horrible Relative
Dad/Mom/_________ (other relative, name or relationship),
So many moments of pain,
So many chances for healing that you abandoned,
So much suffering that you caused,
And now, you are dead.
What is it that I/we mourn?
The dad/mom/_________ (other relative) we never had?
The loss of so much time and energy
To the misery you caused?
The hope that one day you would become
A person of integrity and valor,
Kindness and love?

As in life,
Your death brings mixed emotions,
Different for each of us in our family as we grapple to understand,
As we grapple to find comfort and peace.

G-d of Old,
[Where were You when our family needed healing?]
[Where were You in the pain the sorrow?]
Help me to let go of the false hopes and empty promises
That never came to be.
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.
Help me to move on.
[Help me to forgive. So that one day I can say:]
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
[At long last,]
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See also “Grieving the Living.” Here’s a link to all of my Yizkor and memorial prayers.

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Photo Source: Alden Solovy

For the People of Italy (Prayer after the Earthquake)

Posted on: August 24th, 2016 by Alden

Here are two prayers after an earthquake struck Italy today: one for the people and one for first responders. They were originally written days after an earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. I’ve also used elements of them in prayers after earthquakes in Turkey, New Zealand and Japan.

In Devastation – Prayer for the People of Italy
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured and the dead.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Italy,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Italy Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer for First Responders to the Earthquake in Italy
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service
In this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Italy.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

Postscript: I’m looking for someone willing to contribute translations into Italian, which I’ll post here. I’m happy to give credit. For those who suffered deaths of family members here are various yizkor prayers.

Photo Source: The Austrailian

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

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

Posts Tagged ‘death’

A Dream of Columbine: Psalm of Protest 13

Tender End of Life Vidui

For Those Who Die Young

On the Day of My Death

After a Sudden Death

Travel after an Unexpected Death

Death of a Horrible Relative

For the People of Italy (Prayer after the Earthquake)

Blessings Now a River: A Meditation on Death

Birthday, No More

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