{"id":434,"date":"2013-12-30T22:30:59","date_gmt":"2013-12-31T03:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=434"},"modified":"2013-12-30T22:30:59","modified_gmt":"2013-12-31T03:30:59","slug":"a-grieving-fathers-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/a-grieving-fathers-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Grieving Father’s Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful, Beautiful, and Beloved Lord<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 7, 2009, my eldest daughter lost her battle with lymphoma<\/a>. Today is her 17th birthday.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Lord my God, my Savior and Grace,
\nThe One Who has the Most Beautiful Face<\/p>\n

‘Twas seventeen years since You graced my life
\nAnd gave a daughter to a husband and wife<\/p>\n

And we watched her grow under Your Love and Grace
\nCountless times would she put a smile on face<\/p>\n

Yet, by Your Will, our time with her was cut short
\nAnd terrible grief has gripped this man and consort<\/p>\n

But I’ve tried to be strong for all those around
\nTo help soften blow, shield fall to the ground<\/p>\n

But it’s hard, my Lord, to be strong all the time
\nAnd so, my Lord, be my Strength and Rock Divine<\/p>\n

I try to hide my pain and grief
\nSo I can be strong and give relief<\/p>\n

I struggle to shield my face from tears
\nNo grief do I carry, it may seem to peers<\/p>\n

But it’s hard, my Lord, to be strong all the time
\nAnd so, my Lord, be my Strength and Rock Divine<\/p>\n

My heart, my Lord, it always aches in distress
\nFor, my Lord, I can no longer have her caress<\/p>\n

But crumble I cannot, for I must live on
\nAnd be a Rock; for on me, they depend upon<\/p>\n

But it’s hard, my Lord, to be strong all the time
\nAnd so, my Lord, be my Strength and Rock Divine<\/p>\n

Sometimes, my Lord, I want in horror to scream
\nAnd let loose such tears that face will gleam<\/p>\n

But I can’t, my Lord, for it will not be right
\nTo take away from those around a day so bright<\/p>\n

But it’s hard, my Lord, to be strong all the time
\nAnd so, my Lord, be my Strength and Rock Divine<\/p>\n

I’m trying my best to be as strong as I can
\nBut it’s hard, O Lord, with a loss so grand<\/p>\n

Forgive this soul if this complaint is wrong
\nBut it’s hard, sometimes, to be ever so strong<\/p>\n

And so, my Lord, be my Strength and Rock Divine
\nAnd let Your Love and Grace be forever mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful, Beautiful, and Beloved Lord On June 7, 2009, my eldest daughter lost her battle with lymphoma. Today is her 17th birthday.   My Lord my God, my Savior and Grace, The One Who has the Most Beautiful Face ‘Twas seventeen years since You graced my life And…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,359],"tags":[450,204,9,8,74,360,114,167],"class_list":["post-434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prayer-2","category-remembering-my-angel","tag-child","tag-death","tag-god","tag-lord","tag-loss","tag-pain","tag-poetry","tag-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\nA Grieving Father's Prayer - Common Word, Common Lord<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Grieving Father's Prayer - Common Word, Common Lord\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful, Beautiful, and Beloved Lord On June 7, 2009, my eldest daughter lost her battle with lymphoma. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. 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