A Prayer for 2021 (January 2021 KOL)

January 6, 2021

In my heart I am hopeful for the New Year that’s here.

I pray it will be better than the troubles of last year.

I have hopes for the future deep in my heart,

If only each citizen would do their own part.

I pray for all who are lonely and sick

That this pandemic will be over quick,

But too many are gathering and failing to mask,

Is protecting others too much to ask?

My heart breaks for all the loss and the pain

In the lives and the worlds of those who remain.

Weddings postponed and funerals remote,

And all who couldn’t keep their businesses afloat.

We want to return to our schools and our lives

We pray in 2021 that our economy thrives.

We pray to feel safe to return and engage,

No matter your health, your community, or your age.

I have prayed each day for medical professionals and caregivers,

For essential workers and all those deliverers.

I have prayed for all who had to work to keep food on the table

And those who couldn’t find work, though willing and able.

I pray for vaccines to be available for all very soon,

So maybe normal life will resume come this June.

I pray for all people, wherever they reside

All those in cities and remote countryside.

I thank God for Instacart, Amazon, and Zoom,

And for all the new life that came forth from the womb.

I thank God for the clergy who kept us connected,

With services and classes that they all directed.

Thank God for community and the kindness of strangers

For those who protect us from troubles and dangers.

A New Year brings possibility, promise, and hope,

That we can continue to survive and to cope.

May the New Year bring you all health and good cheer

Time with loved ones far away and those who are near.

May your tomorrows be brighter than your yesterdays have been,

May your prayers and your hopes for 2021 begin.

By Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, D.D.