The phone rings. The baby cries.
The school child asks for answers.
The mail arrives. The bills appear.
The laundry piles. The cooking waits.

There is no celebration in my soul.
I turn to You, source of meaning, knower of sorrow.

My faith is threadbare, worn almost to a whisper.
And yet I need You more than ever.

Now it is over. Our ties severed painfully, or simply faded away from disuse.
We are not what we were.

God, we will need you next to us
to guide us through every stage of our “I do,”

Turn us toward one another to see the hurting humans we are.
Oh God, be present in our family. Make peace possible.

All we can do is remember: With God all things are possible,
even the mending of a broken home.

I ask the Creator of Life
to hear my cries.
Soothe my soul, my aching arms
that long for a baby to hold.

I celebrate the life of the beloved I knew,
the hands I held, the life I shared.

You are the third partner in our marriage, enhancing our love for each other, strengthening us in times of trial, and supplying us with both anchor and wings, that we may remain steadfast and true while soaring far beyond where we could be alone.

In this moment of loss, let me draw into myself, O God,
the light of your radiant love.

May it be a fire of renewed energy within me.
that I may rise from the pain and sadness
that now weigh upon my heart.

Thank you for all the wonderful things
You have made:
The whole world, all the people
My home, my school, my friends, my pets.