The Island of Song
Deep within an island in time
Where rest and renewal reign
Not far from the outer boundary of land and water
There is a deep blue lake…
And in the center of that lake
There is a place
Called the island of song.
When the wind blows through the branches on the trees,
Melodies suffuse the air and reverberate in the waves of the water
Waiting for the voices that sometimes venture to this hallowed space
To add their exquisite harmonies
And sacred sounds.
Most of the time, heartfelt gifts of soul
Have passed through the lips
Of the children of the Eternal
Who gather in that very place
So that the music would engulf and surround them
In ways nearly impossible to describe to those who had not traveled
to this incredible island.
There came a time
when the island of song
Found its way to a virtual venue
Where some of those same sounds could be fashioned and imagined
In the consciousness of the singers
Based on the memories
of past gatherings.
Each scattered source
of vocal wizardry
Learned to add special touches
To the one single voice
that could be heard
Once again creating the joy and spirit
That had always graced the island
Within the island.
As these creators of musical expression
Prepare to leave this island of song
Found deep within the island in time
May learning and connection
Remain in mind and soul.
May the joy of togetherness linger.
May sweetness be reflected in the harmonic holiness yet to be shared.
May the light of the Eternal
Shine on our faces
And in our hearts
So that while we may leave the island of song,
We know
That the island of song
Will not leave us
And will ever be
A source of strength
And love
And hope.
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The Lingering Sweetness
Wine at havdalah
Is like a song that has journeyed
From creation to completion.
Wine is fashioned from sweet grapes
Growing on the vine.
Songs emerge out of the fruits
Of our labors and experiences
Which are often manifestations of
Our dreams and our hopes.
The fruit of the vine turns Shabbat into sacred time
At its beginning
And, as Shabbat concludes,
It transmits the accumulated holiness
Of rest and renewal
To the days of the coming week.
Songs sanctify our stories
And the feelings embodied in them
So that their essence can be shared
With a community of partners and listeners and creators
Again and again.
The sweetness of wine at Havdalah
and the joy that the fruit of the vine represents
Will return six days after the light of the candle
Is extinguished.
A song takes on a life of its own
So that it can be performed by its composer
And by anyone for whom its message resonates
In the depths of the soul.
May our gathering be like the fruit of vine
That will return to us
When we need refreshment and renewal
In the days and months to come.
