Sweet Gd of Heaven and Earth.
Gd of all that is, was, and will be.
Gd of inner, Gd of outer.
Gd of above, Gd of beyond.
Gd of our Fathers.
Gd of our mothers.
Gd of our children.
Gd of our brothers and our sisters.
Listen.
.
.
.
I love you.
Even while my heart beats arrhythmic with worry.
I love you, still.
To you, I turn.
Sweet Gd.
Feel us.
Like a mother feels her child.
Look into our eyes.
Search our soul.
Open a page from our dreams.
Hold our breath between your palms.
Notice how it shakes and steadies – how it catches, how it flows.
Feel it.
All of it.
Feel us.
Messy, broken, wild, grieving, alive, lost, fierce, angry, terrified, faithful, ready.
We’re here.
Still.
Waiting and hoping
Counting on you.
Sweet Father.
See us.
Heal us.
Help us find our way through the steady rumble of an impossibly close war.
Walk us unscathed through and out of the line of fire.
Gd of Mercy, Gd of Light.
Help us stretch.
You’ve been generous.
I mean that honestly and sarcastically in equal measure.
You’ve given us more to contain than our vessels can hold.
Help us expand and strengthen so that we can carry all that needs to be held.
And let it not feel so heavy.
Gd of Goodness, Gd of Strength.
Protect our soldiers.
Protect their bodies, their minds, their souls.
Protect their heads, their arms, their bellies, their feet, their ears, their hearts, their eyes.
Protect their mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers.
Gd. Bless their hearts.
Bless their dreams while they’re awake and while they sleep.
Steady their breaths.
Ease their minds.
Send their children home in good time, with proud, beating hearts, whole in body, mind, and spirit.
Gd of Peace, Gd of Justice.
Release our bound.
Set them free.
Return our stolen to the embrace of their families.
Gd of Love, Gd of Forgiveness.
Destroy our enemies.
Swiftly.
Soundly.
Unequivocally.
Consider recycling old-school, biblical-style miracles.
I think there’s a big audience for that.
We have seen and felt your protection and embrace, let us see more of it.
Let your protection be undeniable like the clouds of glory.
Let the people of the world
All those with goodness and righteousness in their hearts
All who who choose life and choose good.
Let them unite
and rise
alongside the Children of Israel
Fight with us.
I’ll be honest with you, Gd.
This is a rough start to this new year.
I’ve never gone into Rosh Hashana quite like this – with the constant sound of war raging outside our home and this level of concern in my heart.
Sweet Gd.
Keep us where the light is.
Let this day, and every day of this new year only get sweeter and kinder and better in every possible way.
Every day, better.
Thank you.
I’m grateful to be a part of your world.
Take it easy on us.
There’s so much healing and growing we’ve begun- please grant us the good health and safety to continue our work in this world – and be the people we are intended to be.
Talk to you more in shul later.
I love you.