The Maker of life and love be magnified and sanctifiedÂ
from generation to generation.
May all those who are created be transformedÂ
from pain into healing.Â
I speak now of my father.
He was not the fountain of love I needed.
He taught me rejection.
He showed me that not everyone will cherish me,
that prejudice can come even from a place
where safety should have thrived.
His lessons were a knife –Â
one that carved resilience into me.
From his distance, I found my own presence.
From his silence, I learned my own voice.
From his hardness, I became my own fire.
I do not bless the cruelty.
I bless the steel it forged in my soul.
I do not sanctify rejection.
I sanctify the courage born in its shadow.
He continues to carry his burdens.
I am released from carrying them.
What was denied became my freedom,
what was broken became whole in me.
I care not if peace be upon him,
for there is peace upon me.
And let there be peace upon allÂ
who carry wounds from their fathers
and for all who should have been safe.
And let us say together: Amen.
