Poem: Guide Us in Our Journey of Peace, O Lord Above
Written by Heyam Qirbi, Mothers for Peace
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Speech to the Canadian Leadership Conference
Ottawa, Canada, October 2-5, 2008
In the Name of God, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful!
My journey was a path planned;
I had no say!
Not a turning ground
For the common good; I seek God's Way,
Where love and prayer are kept safe and sound.
Let God guide us, Oh tormented soul.
Peace! We talk of peace, but make war;
Resolutions for conflicts, perceptions we draw;
"Roadmaps" we call them, an ephemeral thing.
And when things go beyond our limited knowledge
We say, My friend, forgive me! We did not know!
When we ask, "Is perception a reality or what?"
We only perceive our own perception!
We make judgments on others if they don't change?
Change! It is only our perception of real deception.
Ah...! We never know what we think we know.
Let God guide us, Oh tormented soul.
When the mother says: My son, reach for the stars,
The stars are never too far to reach.
Hold on to your faith and to your dreams,
Your guiding lights to inner peace.
Let things unfold through God's shadows and light.
True peace is justice and love for all.
Child, each child is the blueprint of the universe,
The Creator's deputy on earth, "on-call."
God honors you the day you are born, the day you die,
And the day you resurrect
Let God guide you, Oh soul of God's soul.
Now that she's old and fragile, the table has turned.
The switching roles bring much pain,
The young mocked her love for God,
Yet in His love, she served them all.
Still she kept preaching and asked
To be gentle with our loved ones,
Both young and old!
She speaks with tears.
The young are boxed in between their parents and their kids.
It's another circle, another cycle. We're only points on the way.
Let's trust in God that loves us all. Let's model God's ways.
Let's accept our differences and celebrate our love.
Let's forgive and be forgiving.
Guide us in our journey of peace, Oh Lord above,
A journey that is only for the good of giving.