Speechless

I have a friend whose son is an addict.

I know someone whose child is now “gay.”

My first cousin has “gender issues.”

And wonders if that is okay.

I have a friend whose daughter has cancer.

And one whose son is mentally ill.

My neighbor's son sits in a jail cell

Could it be that all this is God's will?

So many girls need to get married

Somehow they can't find the right guy

Today there are so many divorces

Is it our job to figure out why?

Today was another pigua

Another young soldier just died

I read a young mother went crazy

I finished the story and cried.

There are people who never had children

And there are people addicted to porn

There are so many Jews who act gentile-

For the Torah they only feel scorn.

Oh please Hashem show us your mercy!

We need all the help we can get.

Sometimes it’s so hard to feel near you,

And the Moshiach, he hasn't come yet!

So please bless us with lots of emuna

And help us to fix what we can

Above all please help us remember

That You love us and You have a plan!

* * *

Rebbitzen Yehudit Channen began her career as a Crisis Intervention Counselor in Silver Spring, Md. in the seventies. After moving to Israel, she worked as a marital mediator and social skills instructor for kids. Following the death of a son, Rebbitzen Channen became a certified bereavement counselor and worked with young mothers who had suffered loss. Most recently she worked at the Melabev Center for the memory-impaired, as an activity director and group facilitator for families coping with Dementia.  The Rebbitzen has written for numerous magazines and newspapers and recently led an interactive creative writing course called Connective Writing. Yehudit Channen is the wife of Rabbi Don Channen, Rosh Yeshiva of Keter HaTorah.  They are blessed to have nine children and many grandchildren and live in Ramat Beit Shemesh.