Italian style meals, sustainable gardening tips, and lots of segues in between

I’ve had a rough yet extraordinary three weeks. My beloved mother died followed three weeks later by the death of my father. I am filled with gratitude for the gifts my parents modeled for me, chief among them, love, compassion, and hospitality.

This prayer from The Rabbi’s Manual was read at my Dad’s gravesite by the presiding Catholic priest. It was read again at the unveiling of my mother’s tombstone. I love these ecumenical words of wisdom and comfort.

In the rising of the sun and its going down,
we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share,
we remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
for they are now a part of us, as
we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
we remember them.
From the Rabbi’s Manual, copyright 1988, pp 130-131.