For Grace
All I am,
All I have, All I’ll become,
Are present in this moment:
Warmth and breath,
Love and compassion,
Silence and celebration.
Everything, here.
All gifts, present.
What then, God of all being,
What then of my choices?
What will I make of the space
Between this breath and the next?
Will I bring laughter and light,
Hope and faith,
Wonder and strength?
Will I stand in humble service
For all of my brothers and sisters?
Maker of heaven and earth,
Grant us the wisdom to choose lives of grace,
Of vision and understanding,
Seeing each moment as a choice
To bless our companions
With strength and wisdom,
With honor and respect.
Blessed are the gentle moments of grace.
-- Alden Solovy, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings (CCAR Press, 2019), p. 85
How have you grown or changed in recent months? How are you still becoming?
(from "Readings for the Month of Elul," kindly reprinted with permission from the Central Conference of American Rabbis)