July 2023 WATERritual

Hand in Hand Around the World!

Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 7:30 pm ET

Watch the recording of this WATERritual here on YouTube.

Preparation
Choose your favorite handmade object, and put it in a special place near you. Pick something you have made, or something someone has made for you: a painting, pottery, a picture you have colored, bread, food, a weaving, a quilt, jewelry, an article of clothing. Or gather photos of you and loved ones.

Welcome and Introduction
We come together tonight to acknowledge that we are “Hand in Hand Around the World!” We begin by acknowledging those who have lived on the land where we are now sitting. In Silver Spring, the Washington DC area, the original stewards of this land are the Anacostan and Piscataway people. We affirm WATER’s intention to promote healing, respect, and love for all people through our work, with special indebtedness to Native people whose lands we are privileged to share.
Imagine the many ways you are connected to Native people, family, friends, and colleagues around the world. Hands reach out and link us to others. This liturgy invites you to imagine yourself hand in hand with loved ones wherever they live. July 30th is International Friendship Day so we celebrate.

We are “Hand in Hand Around the World.”
In German: Hand in Hand um die ganze Welt
In Spanish: Mano y mano alrededor del mundo
In French: Main dans la maim à travers le monde
In Swahili: mkono na mkono kote ulimwenguni
In Chinese: 心手相連

Song: “Blessing To The World,” Words by Reverend David Bruner and Karen Drucker, Music by Karen Drucker
You are the heart, you are the hands, you are the voice of Spirit on Earth.
And who you are, and all you do, is a blessing to the world. [x3]

Centering Prayer
Center yourself through your five senses, mindful that your hands especially provide a unique way to experience your sense of touch and connect you to the world.

Notice five things you see. Name each item in your mind. Maybe you look at your hands. Take in the sights around you.

Pay attention to four things you feel. Maybe you clasp your hands together and notice the feeling of your skin. Maybe you feel the texture of your clothing or the seat you are sitting on.

Listen to three things you hear. Maybe it’s the sound of your breathing. Maybe it’s something off in the distance.

Observe two things you smell. Maybe your hands or your clothing carry a scent.

Take note of one thing you taste. Maybe you take a sip of a drink nearby. If nothing is nearby, imagine the taste of something you love.

Now that you are centered, imagine that you are hand in hand with dear friends, near and far away. Through the centuries, the creative and healing power of the Divine has been represented through the gestures of the human hand.

Song: “Blessing To The World,” Words by Reverend David Bruner and Karen Drucker, Music by Karen Drucker
We are the heart, we are the hands, we are the voice of Spirit on Earth.
And who we are, and all we do, is a blessing to the world. [x2]

“Hands” by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
My favorite feeling
of them all
is when my friend
and I hold hands.
We walk and talk
through hidden woods.
We make toeprints
in ocean sands.
Secrets circle
mouth to ear –
ear to mouth
they never end.
Girl to girl.
Heart to heart.
Hand in hand.
Me and my friend.

Bless Your Hands
Blessed are my hands when they nurture creativity.
Blessed are my hands when they care for Earth, recycle, and grow gardens.
Blessed are my hands when they protect loved ones, heart to heart.
Response: Look at your hands. Rub them together. Feel the warmth. Place them on any part of your body that needs energy or healing.

African Proverb: Hold a true friend with both hands
Hold tight to a true friend, hold on with both hands. True friends are hard to find, in today’s day and age is one of the hardest things to find.

When something bad happens, when we get sick or go through big disappointments or major loss, it is only natural to want someone to be there to help. True unconditional friendship is rare and hard to find so when you find your friendship soulmate, hold on to them with both hands.

Bless the Hands of Friendship
Remember the many ways you and your friends join hands together.
Blessed are my hands when they embrace with love, respect, and dignity.
Blessed are my hands when they comfort a loved one living with illness, disabilities, HIV/AIDS, or pain-filled uncertainties.
Blessed are my hands when they reach out in understanding to sustain friendships.
Response: Look at your hands. Rub them together. Feel the warmth. Place them on any part of your body that needs energy or healing.

“I Don’t Want to Live a Small Life” by Mary Oliver
I don’t want to live a small life. Open your eyes,
open your hands. I have just come
from the berry fields, the sun

kissing me with its golden mouth all the way
(open your hands) and the wind-winged clouds
following along thinking perhaps I might

feed them, but no I carry these heart-shapes
only to you. Look how many small
but so sweet and maybe the last gift

I will bring to anyone in this
world of hope and risk, so do
Look at me. Open your life, open your hands.

Bless the Hands of Justice
Think of those whose hands bring about love, mercy, and justice.
Blessed are my hands when they care for those who are aged, infirm, lonely, desperate.
Blessed are my hands when they stop violence, vote for equality, and bring about social change.
Blessed are my hands when they hold banners, create signs of solidarity, or embrace circles of community.
Response: Look at your hands. Rub them together. Feel the warmth. Place them on any part of your body that needs energy or healing.

Song: “Blessing To The World,” Words by Reverend David Bruner and Karen Drucker, Music by Karen Drucker
I am the heart, I am the hands, I am the voice of Spirit on Earth.
And who I am, and all I do, is a blessing to the world.

Reflection | Group Sharing
What invitations and challenges did you hear in the poems and in the blessing of your hands?
What connections, family members, or friends can you reach out to, even internationally – with a phone call, email, prayers, plane ticket?

Take Action with Your Hands
~ Take some time to learn or improve your skills in sign language.
~ Reach out to friends and family who live in another country.
~ Find an international pen pal friend; it can be nice to communicate across borders.
~ Hand write a thank you note to someone with whom you enjoyed spending time.
~ Go swimming and feel the refreshing water on your hands and whole body.
~ Massage your hands. According to the ancient healing technique of hand reflexology, you can heal your whole body when you massage the palms of your hands because you target key zones of your body to relieve stress, tension, and imbalances.

Blessing the Interns

Bless Endings and Beginnings
Think of all the emotions that you experience: wonder, alienation, doubt, excitement, dread, ecstasy, hope, and more. Acknowledge these feelings as part of yourself.
Blessed are my hands when they reach out with trust.
Blessed are my hands when they feel the warmth of sunshine, the coolness of water, and the wonder of new places.
Blessed are my hands when they say hello and when they wave goodbye.

Sending Forth

Song: “Hands, A Song for Orlando” by Interscape Records

© 2023 Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, with Patrice Rupp and Brooke Andrews, adapted from Stirring WATERS: Feminist Liturgies for Justice by Diann L. Neu.