A blessing upon the passing of a family business member
Matthew 5:4
When a family business member passes away, it can feel doubly painful because we have lost someone who was part of two overlapping families: our extended family and our work family. The person who has died – whether they started the enterprise, maintained it, or if they were the future of the business and died prematurely – leaves a large gap. The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted that God leaves the gap "unfilled, and in this way he helps us to maintain our true communion with our loved one, even though it is painful.”
Here is a blessing when a beloved family business member passes away. (To listen to the blessing, click here.)
Your leave-taking from this life has been hard on us Mingled feelings of sadness, celebration, relief, and regret Our past, present, and future shaped by your spirit In this enterprise we recognize as both a blessing and a burden. We treasure the gifts you left to us Not simply money or property or personal effects But a true wealth of stories, of values, of sacrifices Molding the foundation of our own character We did not always agree or act kindly toward one another We regret what we said in anger, or what we should have said but didn’t We missed chances to heal some wounds before they became scars Yet all are important in the ties binding us together. Now, as we recall your life with us, May any peace that eluded you in this life be found in the next May any pain you carried in your mind, body, or soul be healed May our recollections of our time with you cause us to smile May God’s presence connect us until we see each other again.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
Prior blessings: For rest, for the next generation’s return, for the senior generation letting go, and for the new year.