Posts Tagged ‘prayers of hope’

 

The Last Moment

Posted on: May 16th, 2013 by tobendlight

TimeThis is a meditation on time, a meditation on living in this moment with the spiritual understanding that beauty and holiness remain. They remain even when one of us departs this existence. The meditation was inspired by the music of Randall Williams whom I heard recently in Jerusalem; in particular, his song “Suppose Time” and reading of “The World Will End” from the album Einstein’s Dreams, which was based on the best-selling novel by Alan Lightman. Special thanks to another musician friend of mine, Tracy Friend, for her ideas and suggestions on the word choice and flow of this meditation. This piece appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.

The Last Moment
What if this is the last moment of creation?
The last moment we have to share
Our joy, our hope, our love.

What if this is the last moment
With you on earth?
The last chance to feel
Your breath, your heart, your surrender.
When you depart
The world will remain,
Full of mystery and wonder.

What if this is the last moment
With me on earth?
The last chance to offer
My hand, my smile, my strength.
When I depart
The world will remain,
Full of glory and holiness.

What if this is the last moment
We have together?
The only chance we have to share
Our awe, our power, our peace.
When we say goodbye
The world will remain.
The sky will continue to fill with radiance.
The core of the earth will still burn
Molten hot with passion for living.
And light, light from the edge of the universe,
Light from the day when G-d spoke
And the world came to be,
Will reach my face
And will warm your heart.

© 2019 CCAR Press from This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings

Postscript: Related meditations include a three-part series written to be read in this order: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.” Be sure to check out the music of Randall Williams and Tracy Friend. Also check out Tracy’s latest collaboration with my Andy Dennen, “G-d is Near.”

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Photo Source: Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science

Every Beginning

Posted on: December 9th, 2012 by tobendlight

BeginningHere’s prayer/poem that celebrates both love and loss as essential elements of our lives. This piece appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.

Every Beginning
Every beginning brings an ending.
Every ending brings a beginning.

Ancient One,
This is the joy and the grief,
The plenty and the famine,
The dance and the dirge
Of life
Alive and awake
In Your world.

How wonderful is this living?
How glorious the light from heaven?
How stunning the radiance that surrounds you
My beloved,
Holy and new, luminous with wonder?
How marvelous this place where earth and sky touch?

How strange is this dying?
How melancholy that one day we will
No longer hear sweet voices,
See sweet faces,
Share whispers and secrets,
Laughter and heartbreak?
How much more, my darlings,
Should we love today?
How much more, my children,
Should we savor and rejoice?

Every beginning brings an ending.
Every ending brings a beginning.
Blessed is G-d’s Holy Name.

© 2019 CCAR Press from This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings

Postscript: Here are two of my favorite prayers about the spiritual journey: “Messengers” and “On the Trail.” Click here for more meditations in the voice of the Spiritual Traveler.

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 Credit: Hasseblad

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