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October 2004
By Audrey Brooks Cownie, the Co-Chair of the Caring Community of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford, New York.
Psalm for Caring Community
I wrote this psalm to use as the opening prayer for a meeting of the Caring Community, hoping to give the entire group a feeling for how their individual kindnesses contributed to a much larger feeling of support throughout our synagogue.
I was led to create a psalm following a workshop which encouraged us to write psalms to mark -- or process -- times in our lives. Since being read at that first meeting, the psalm seems to have taken on a wonderful life of its own. It has been read on Yom Kippur to the entire congregation, is used on the Caring Community brochure and has now been taken under the wing of the National Center for Jewish Healing for use by other Caring Committees. You are invited to use this psalm either for reading or as inspiration for the creation of other psalms and blessings for acts of Hesed (lovingkindness).
Psalm for Caring Community
O God. creator of the heavens and of the earth,
thank you for your abundant blessings.
Thank you for opening our hearts wide enough,
and long enough,
to create this community of caring.
Thank you for permitting us,
despite the chaotic demands of our days,
and the fullness of our obligations,
to find the place within us
which understands that reaching out to others
allows us to reach deeper within ourselves
and create deeper meaning
and satisfaction in our lives.
For it is when we answer a call to help people when they need it most
that we know the best within us.
As a group, we have delivered meals that nourished body and spirit,
written cards and made calls that melted loneliness and gave hope,
visited congregants in hospitals and at home,
and delivered flowers and gifts --
all of which helped draw an indelible circle
of embrace around our congregation.
For all of this, source of strength and love,
we offer thanks.
These "Spirituality Notes" are excerpts from our monthly E-newsletter. Articles are © JBFCS Rita J. Kaplan Jewish Connections Programs and may be reprinted free of charge as long as this credit line is included. This Psalm ©2004 Audrey Brooks Cownie.
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