I had originally intended this poem for an audience of one. While working for Princeton Hospice, the husband of one of the nurses died and so I tailored this specifically to her. It was only later that I added it to my collection of readings related to bereavement, and so once in a while I have used it as a meditation before the Mourner’s Kaddish or at a funeral. Being published here in Jewish Sacred Aging, it now has an even broader scope. I not only encourage others to use it but would be honored as well.
These days
May the Angel of Solace be beside you
Every time you wake.
And the warming touch of friends and family
Sustain you as nightfall approaches.
May the bittersweet release of
Fear, anger, sadness and gratitude
Reassemble the scattered shards of your soul.
Chaplain Karen B. Kaplan, BCC, is a member of NAJC, Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, and is BCC, a Board-Certified Chaplain, credentialed through NAJC. Starting in 2005, Karen Kaplan served hospices for fifteen years, including Princeton Hospice in New Jersey and the Center for Hope Hospice in Elizabeth, also in New Jersey. During that time, Pen-L Publishing released her book, Encountering the Edge: What People Told Me Before They Died (2014). To this day, Chaplain Karen has been writing a blog for numerous years called offbeatcompassion.com where one can find everything from eulogies to humorous slices of life and book reviews. Currently, Chaplain Kaplan serves the Jewish community via a weekly Shabbat Zoom service that emphasizes interactive Torah study and song.
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