Tonight We Shine Lights

Recently I was honored to be asked to give the opening prayer at the Utica Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony. It might seem like a nice way to network but since my mom has been battling Colon Cancer for over 2 years now and since she recently found out it is spreading again, I was touched by the opportunity. The ceremony was beautiful and I felt like the process of writing the prayer might have been more for myself than anyone else but I hope that others found something in it that touched them too. Here is the prayer that I wrote:

Creator God,

Comforter,

Healer,

Tonight we shine lights for those who have ignited sparks in each of us. We watch as their lights still warm us. We focus on their glow and grieve their loss, grieve for their fight. We speak their names:

“My Mother”

“My Father”

“My Brother”

“My Sister”

“My Loved One”

“My Friend”

As we walk past the lights we watch as they all shine in their own way. They each guide our paths uniquely. Comforter, we miss them. Healer, we are scared for them. Creator God, comfort and heal.

We notice as we march that these lights, though unique, share a similar story, guide a similar path and bring us together to say:

“I am sorry you are grieving”

“I don’t “know” your pain but I care about your pain.”

“Enough is enough!”

And “There Is Still Hope”

Because just as we have lost, we have also heard powerful stories of survival. “Survival” a word we shout with some and are too afraid to whisper with others. Creator God, comfort and heal.

So tonight we grieve, we honor, we support one another, we share, we walk past these lights and remember, we are sad, we are encouraged by the reality that someday there will be a cure. Tonight we do all of these things and we ask that you, Creator God, comfort and heal.

Amen.