Prayer: Grace in Grief

     

God of Compassion,
we center ourselves in silence before you,
   laying our sorrow at your feet.

Walk alongside us in the days to come
   as our companion in grief
as we travel this hard road
   on this unwanted journey.

Help us forgive 
      and be forgiven 
   of all that is left undone,
   of all that cannot now be done,
with grace for our loved ones
   and grace for ourselves.
Let us fasten on what can be done
   with tenderness and gratitude.

Strengthen us to release the imperfections of love
   and the fragility of relationships
      with gentle hands.

Lift the boat of our hearts
   by the sea of our memories of laughter and joy,
      and carry away any bitterness with the tide of compassion.

O Mothering God,
Let us grieve as Jesus grieved 
   and weep as Jesus wept.
Help us cradle our memories,
   as Mary cradled the body of her child.

In assurance and trust, let the gift of your Spirit
   lead us to hold fast to our faith
      in the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,
      the resurrection of the body
      and the life everlasting
through Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer.
Amen.

----------------Leslie Barnes Scoopmire

Today is the first anniversary of the death of my younger brother Bill.