Prayer of Remembrance

On this Memorial Day weekend, we turn our minds to acts of remembering.

We remember our family members and friends who died serving their homeland. We are grateful that they loved us and this country and pray that we become worthy of that love by pursuing better policies so that we put fewer of our loved ones in harm’s way. Let us remember them by name, as persons with dignity.

We remember our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, mentors and older friends who have died before us. Some died of old age, some of disease or injury that could not be healed. We are grateful that they brought us into the world. And we are grateful for the life lessons we learned from them or because of them. May we honor them by seeking to improve on what they left with us. But let us remember them, each for his or her unique qualities, imperfect but as persons of inherent worth.

We remember our spouses and partners, our brothers and sisters, and our friends whose absence has left us alone in a harsh world. Sometimes we have felt anger at their death, sometimes despair, but we are grateful that they traveled this road with us for part of our journey. Our concept of self is intertwined with our memories of them. We honor them for what they meant in our lives, but we remember them as individuals who, much as they loved us, were more than just what we allowed ourselves to see of them. May we learn to see those near us not as mirrors of us but as unique persons, each sacred in his or her own right.

We remember our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, children of neighbors and friends who died before their time. Their deaths were particularly painful. Sometimes it is hard to remember them for their individual qualities because they died so young. Sometimes they were so ill that the person was overcome by the symptoms and treatments. But we will remember the person not simply the pain. Let us work for a world where everyone has access to care. May we honor these children by continuing to improve that care, remembering each face, each voice that once opened the world to us.

Let us also perform an act of will, remembering those who died with no one left to remember them. We honor their individuality not by pretending we knew them but by holding that uncertainty in our minds, recognizing that no one was ever just a number but a living, breathing person of great value.

Today we remember not our losses but hold in our hearts those who have died before us. We remember them all. We remember. We remember.