Mi She Berach

I learned this Jewish prayer and listened to this song, today, from fellow bloggers Single Dad and Claire. 

I offer it to my Sophie, for my Sophie, for Single Dad's father and for Claire and her Sophie.



Mi she berach avoteinu,
M'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu

May the source of strength, Who blessed the ones before us
Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing
And let us say: Amen.

Mi she berach imoteinu,
M'kor hab'racha l'avoteinu
r'fuah sh'leima

Bless those in need of healing with r'fuah sh'leima
The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit,
And let us say: Amen.

What does it mean?

Sophie slept most of the morning, peacefully.
I spoke on the phone with several people because it was Saturday.
Sophie is doing much better, I said.
I knocked wood three times each time.
Sophie woke up and ate some lunch.
I dressed Sophie and she reached toward my face.
Her eyes seem larger, more intent, when she doesn't have seizures.
She hasn't had a seizure in days and days.
I did one of those email prayer chains recently -- the kind where good things happen on the fourth day.
You won't believe it, it says.
I'm not counting, actually.
I put Sophie in her stroller and we started to walk down the street.
I saw my neighbor, who has successfully finished chemo for advanced ovarian cancer.
I asked her how she was, and she said good and then knocked her forehead three times.
We chatted and caught up.
I told her that Sophie was trending better, that she wasn't having seizures.
I did not knock wood.
Sophie had a huge seizure in her stroller, under the waving trees.
What does it mean?
I was dusting in my room, and a small thin bowl that holds some jewelry, casual, tipped over.
The necklaces and rings fell to the floor in a neat heap.
I bent down to retrieve them and heard Sophie -- a whimper.
I went to her room.
She was having a seizure, on the floor.
What does it mean?
Yesterday, I thought maybe they had stopped forever.
Today, a sigh.
Hope follows hope
Knock three times
Pray

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