These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

A Song of Gratitude and Request

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Ahava Zarembski

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is a song of gratitude and request
As I flow into the next phase of life

a9h8a7v6aMay I integrate all of the various pieces of myself
May I share it with others may I share it with myself
May I stand in fullness in all of the fragments
That once shattered into being
And are now part of a single whole.

May I bring Torah and creativity into unified form
May my art grow
May my authenticity in how I relate to the work grow
In the arts, in dance, in how I relate to Torah, in how I learn Torah, in my Torah community.
May Torah be infused in my community.

May my community help me grow spirituality, artistically, and feel love and supported, surprise me with the capacity to ever accept me in my vulnerability, love me for my vulnerability and vision.

May my vision be clear. May I have patience, wisdom, and grace in bringing it to this world and creating in it.

May I stand with community, friendship, partnership and family
May I create a new song for family with a soul that shares my heart and perspective on Torah
May we sing a new song of gratitude.

May Philadelphia and Israel be one in my heart
May I find a place to root as I grow
May I continue to search and wonder
yet not wander
May I search in comfort of togetherness and support, vulnerability and vision,
holding and being held.

May I always be held.
May I always feel held.
Like the waters of life in a mikve.

May I move in play and flow
May the waters of life support me
As I float down the river.

Partnership
Love
Continuing to open my heart
in wonder and amazement
That new life, more of life, lays beyond the opening of my heart.

Let me play with my partner
wrestle in play,
love in play,
communicate in play,
love and play,
communicate and play.

May I feel like all of life is a gift to me.
Not needing to choose,
but rather only have an even larger heart.

And today I say, כן ותודה

May I be moved in the direction of spiritual supportive community
May I feel less of a need to remove myself from support
And just remain in it, saying thank you.
May I feel less of a need to move in and out of support
And just remain in support.
And say thank you.

May I fall deeply in love again
with a man I think is amazing
and who thinks I’m amazing
may it stick
and remain
and from that we say thank you
in deep gratitude
for bringing us together
and play and laugh and communicate and build
a temple for God
with lots of children
and much joy.

Please God help me integrate my love of Torah and the cool and kindness of the amazing broader world.

Amen.