• by Shelley Riskin

Adonai our God, Shekhinah, Compassionate Healer of the Universe—- Here we are, your dear friends, gathered together to offer love and support as you come to the end of a long and painful ordeal. We all deeply honor you for the way you have fulfilled the 5th of the 10 commandments, Honor Thy Father and Mother. The commandment is to honor parents, even when love is difficult, if not impossible. And over the years, you, dear (name of friend/relative) have so consistently and diligently honored your (mother/father/relative,) who was not nurturing or kind—-often working to do so in the face of active family opposition and cruelty as you supported your (mother/father/relative’s) entrance into old age and then death.

So we are here with you, surrounding you with our love and compassion, asking for Adonai, the Nurturing One, to help you find strength as you finally move into a lighter space, one of healing, and the joy of knowing that you fulfilled this commitment to the commandment, although at great cost. Adonai, we ask as (name of friend/relative’s) cherished community, that You grant (her/him/they) a year of increasing peace, of mental and physical health, and of many, many blessings. Amen.

• Posted in Death & Mourning, Funeral & Burial, Mourning & Bereavement
• abuse, funeral, grief, loss, mental health

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