Tag Archive for "life" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘life’

For the Family Historian

Posted on: October 14th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for the one who holds the flame of family history. I wrote it in honor of our family historian, Irwin Keller. Irwin posted this prayer on a Jewish genealogy website and it was subsequently published in the spring 2010 edition of Morasha, the newsletter of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. It’s part of my series of prayers for family, including “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Brothers” and “For Our Sisters.”

Please listen along as you read. (Click on the triangle in the slider bar below. The entire text follows.)

For the Family Historian
For the family historian,
A song of thanksgiving.

Guardian of the family tree,
Keeper of our history,
We are blessed with your love and devotion,
Your tireless efforts to know our heritage,
Your work to keep us united,
Your joy in rediscovering brothers and sisters
Once separated, apart no more.
Your work reminds us to love and cherish the living,
To honor and praise the dead,
To embrace the lost,
To welcome each other home.

G-d of mystery and wonder,
Bless our family with strength and peace,
Wholeness and love,
Health and prosperity.
May sons and daughters find joy under the chupah.
May our parents be given long lives and easy deaths.
Bless us with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren,
So that the generations expand,
A wondrous celebration of Your gifts.

Blessed are You, G-d of our mothers and fathers,
Who delights in family wholeness and love.

Postscript: Other prayers for family members include: “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Brothers” and “For Our Sisters.”

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For Our Brothers

Posted on: October 2nd, 2010 by tobendlight

This is a prayer to honor our brothers. It’s part of a series of prayers about rejoicing in family relationships, including: “For Our Sisters,” “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch” and a favorite of mine called “For the Family Historian.” This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Our Brothers
For our brothers,
A chant of honor.

Brother, to have you is a blessing,
A gift of endurance and strength.
Your courage is my shield,
Your humor, my cloak,
Your humility, my guide,
Your vigor, my hope.
Your victories witness your confidence,
Your devotion
And your zeal.

You are my brother by birth
My brother by choice,
My brother through pain
And my brother in thanksgiving.

G-d of brotherly dignity and grace,
Bless our family with gratitude
And our brothers with enthusiasm, vitality and wonder.
May their devotion inspire us to justice and mercy.
Bless our lives with energy and prosperity
So that we become a source of healing in our lives
And in the world.

Blessed are You, G-d of brothers,
Who delights in brotherly love.

Postscript: See also: For Our Sisters,” “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch” and “For the Family Historian.” Note that this prayer is written to be used by both men and women to honor their brothers. As such, it’s not part of the body of prayers that I’ve written specifically for men.

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Dwelling Place

Posted on: September 24th, 2010 by tobendlight

A prayer/poem about the meaning of home, posted for Sukkot.

To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The entire text follows.

Dwelling Place
This is my dwelling-place.
The place of my bounty and sustenance,
Study and reflection.

This is my living-place.
The place of my comfort and rest,
Quiet and peace.

This is my working-place.
The place of my dedication and strength,
Pride and honor.

This is my loving-place.
The place of my family and heart,
Warmth and shelter.

This is my memory-place.
The place of my seasons and sensations,
Traditions and transitions.

This is my hoping-place.
The place of my dreams and desires,
Visions and wonder.

This is my mourning-place.
The place of endings and beginnings,
Grief and renewal.

This is my dying-place.
The place of my release and surrender,
Letting go and passing on.

This is my dwelling-place.
The place of my moments and years,
Blessings and gifts,
Sabbaths of the heart,
Sabbaths of the soul.

Postscript: Other songs and prayers of the Spiritual Traveler include: “Come Walk,” “Bird is Bird,” “River,” “Soarbird” and “I am Breathing.” Click here for the entire list of songs of the Spiritual Traveler.

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Rejoice!

Posted on: September 19th, 2010 by tobendlight

Sukkot is z’man simcahteinu, “the time of our rejoicing.” We’re commanded to be happy during Sukkot. Commanded? While joy is an emotion, it’s also a spiritual practice. So practice. For a week, the choice to make is joy. This prayer/poem is about the practice of joy. It appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Rejoice!
Dance one-thousand steps toward heaven.
Sing one-thousand hymns of praise.
Breathe one-thousand breaths of glory.
Rejoice!

Climb one-thousand steps of courage.
Chant one-thousand hymns of hope.
Laugh one-thousand breaths of healing.
Rejoice!

Walk one-thousand steps of power.
Hum one-thousand hymns of life.
Share one-thousand breaths of wonder.
Rejoice!

Leap one-thousand steps toward beauty.
Cry one-thousand hymns of joy.
Feel one-thousand breaths of mystery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!

Postscript: Here’s a prayer called “Let Joy” and another called “For Joy.” This link is to a list of all of my Sukkot prayers.

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Remember

Posted on: September 15th, 2010 by tobendlight

This meditation resonates with poetry and prayer, summoning the voices of the prophet and the spiritual traveler, calling us back to our deepest sense of peace and well being. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Remember
When the thunder crashes,
When the winds howl,
Remember
That your heart,
Once a desert,
No longer thirsts.

When darkness falls,
Without moon or stars,
Remember
That your mind,
Once lost,
No longer wanders.

When the storm rages,
When lightning strikes at your feet,
Remember
That your spirit,
Once frightened,
No longer hides.

When the road fades,
And the journey ends,
Remember
That your soul,
Once apart,
Returns home.

Postscript: The last stanza reflects the journey of Yom Kippur: to look back at life as if it was the day of death, with both unwavering honesty and abiding compassion. “Near the End: A Meditation” has a similar theme. If you liked this piece, try “Come Walk,” another poem/prayer in the voice of the spiritual traveler. Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days, including brief descriptions and links to each.

Photo Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

Upon Recovery From Surgery

Posted on: September 3rd, 2010 by tobendlight

This prayer is for an individual recovering from surgery. It gives thanks for healing and, as an act of immediate gratitude, asks for blessings on caregivers, healing for others and blessings on those whose recovery is still questionable. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. For those about to undergo surgery, please read “For Surgery.” Here is a post-surgery prayer for those who have “Complications after Surgery.”

Upon Recovery From Surgery
G-d of renewal and strength,
Thank you for the gifts of vitality, comfort and recovery
After the many traumas of surgery.

Grant me continued health and healing
As my body and spirit use Divine energy,
Endowed by Your loving hand,
To find wholeness.

Bless my surgeon with skill and my caregivers with love,
So that others may know the awesome wonder
Of new spirit,
New joy,
And renewed life.

Bless those whose recovery is not yet complete,
Whose future remains uncertain.
Erase their worries,
Console their children,
Strengthen their parents,
Fortify their partners
And bring peace to their families and friends.

May the One who heals with holiness and love,
Grant recovery to all in need.

Postscript: Here are more prayers for healing: “For a Critically-Ill Child,” “For Surgery,” “Upon Recovery from Surgery” and “For Healing the Spirit.”

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

Photo Source: Integra Life Sciences

Life as a Banquet

Posted on: August 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

The banquet of your life is full. Rejoice in the blessings. Share the bounty. This is one of four prayers that begin with a reflection on human limits as the gateway to rejoicing in Divine gifts. And sharing them. Here’s a link to more prayers appropriate for Thanksgiving.

Life as a Banquet
G-d of sacred time,
Source of sacred space,
Creator of holiness,
Divine light of wonder and awe,
My vision is clouded,
My sight limited,
The horizon of this world binds my perceptions.
What I see and what I know are tied to my awareness.

Heavenly hand of wisdom,
Guardian of realms above and realms below,
You who give understanding and insight,
Grant me the grace to live my life as a banquet,
A river of abundance and blessing
That yields food and clothing and shelter,
That I accept with humility and thanksgiving.
Give me the strength and compassion
To share these gifts with those in need,
To become an instrument of Divine bounty.

You who provide gifts beyond measure,
Guide me with Your love,
Teach me with Your holiness,
Show me the path to charity and service,
So that I live a life of dignity and honor,
With reverence for Your creation.

Blessed are You, G-d of time and space,
Providing bounty to be shared.

Postscript: Please check out these related prayers: “Life as a Symphony,” “Life as a Ceremony” and “Life as a Garden.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

Photo Source: Taste With the Eyes

Come Walk

Posted on: August 26th, 2010 by tobendlight

The spiritual journey requires humility to see with new eyes and willingness to listen with a new heart for the beautifully possible impossibilities that are all around us. I use this in week five of counting the Omer.

Come Walk
I know a man who lives in a rainbow.
I’ve heard the poet who lives on the moon.
I’ve heard the secret that sings all around you.
I know a man who can teach you the tune.

Hear the music among the lilies
And whispers in the blades of grass.
Hear the thunder beneath the ocean.
Feel the love that will always last.

Come walk the sacred sunshine.
Come walk the Milky Way.
Walk gently through the heavens.
Walk gently through each day.

Put your head upon my shoulder
And your hand upon my chest.
Put your hope above your sorrow.
Give yourself a time to rest.

I know a man who sings from the mountains,
And another who sings from the seas.
I’ve heard the man who sings from his glory,
And the man who sings on his knees.

Come walk between the layers of clouds.
Come walk the spirals of stars.
Walk gently through joy and sorrow.
Walk gently, walk holy, walk far.

Postscript: Here are more prayer/poems from the spiritual traveler: “All is Well,” “River,” “Bird is Bird” and “About the Rainbow.” Thank you to Ira Scott Levin, Julia Bordenaro Levin, and Tracy Friend. Their music helped me find this voice. Thanks also to Ros Roucher for her comments on earlier drafts.

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 Credit: Salt Lake Tribune

My Child Leaves Home

Posted on: August 15th, 2010 by tobendlight

I spent the winter of 2011 helping my daughter Dana prepare for and move to L.A. where she’s building her life. Seeing this unfold is the same blessing I received helping my daughter Nikki move to Denver. Transitions are tough on young adults and their parents. I’m blessed seeing my daughters become amazing, wise and powerful women. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

My Child Leaves Home (A Parent’s Prayer)
Holy One,
Heavenly Guide,
My daughter / son is leaving home
To begin the adventure of an independent life.
Bless her / his journey with joy and wonder.
Let opportunity open like a rose before her / his eyes.
Be her / his compass and her / his shield.
Lead her / him on a path of discovery
Guided by the love of Torah,
A commitment to mitzvot,
And dedication to the Jewish people.
Bless her / him with mentors and teachers,
Companions and friends,
Scholars and rabbis,
To support and guide her / him along the way.

In this marvel,
In this glorious moment of growth fulfilled,
My heart struggles with contradictions:
Pride and fear,
Joy and grief,
Love and loss.
The landscape of my life is shifting,
Offering new challenges and new choices
In the very moment my child departs.
Give me the wisdom and the strength to honor my own life
With gentleness and courage,
And to embrace the beauty and promise of the time to come.

G-d of our fathers and mothers,
G-d of sacred transitions,
Bless my daughter / son
_______________ [child’s name in Hebrew or your native tongue]
As she / he sets out on this new life.
Keep her / him safe under the canopy of peace.
And lead her / him back home to me often
With stories of marvelous moments and amazing discovery.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
Who watches over the lives of our children.

Postscript: This is a prayer of affluence. I must remember the difference between American 18-year-olds and Israelis: our children, if they can, go to college; Israeli children, because they must, go into the Army. And in other places throughout the world, children go into slavery, stay bound in poverty or may be kidnapped into the sex trade. Yes, this prayer is a prayer of affluence. Just being able to say it is a blessing.

For the Bereaved

Posted on: July 18th, 2010 by tobendlight

.ברוך דין האמת

A prayer of mourning for all who are bereaved, it can be used for a Yartziet, Yizkor or during a period of mourning. It is also part of my liturgy for Yom HaShoah. Please see “For Bereaved Children” for a prayer for children facing loss. Both prayers appears in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Bereaved
Rock of Jacob,
Comfort of Rachel,
Broken and torn,
Shattered and crushed,
Bereaved and bereft,
We declare Your Holy Name.

We praise Your gifts and Your works.
You are Author and Artist,
Architect and Builder,
Source and Redeemer.

We the mourners of Zion and Israel
Comfort each other.
We console the lonely and embrace the lost.
We cry each other’s tears.
Together we recall Your wonder and Your majesty.

Holy One,
Ineffable Redeemer,
Guiding Hand,
Gentle Hand,
Loving Hand,
Light of Israel,
Guardian of Israel.

Postscript: Here are links to “For Bereaved Children” and “After Shiva.”

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 Credit: Cultura Hebraica

Posts Tagged ‘life’

For the Family Historian

For Our Brothers

Dwelling Place

Rejoice!

Remember

Upon Recovery From Surgery

Life as a Banquet

Come Walk

My Child Leaves Home

For the Bereaved

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