To Bless and...

Be Blessed

“Blessed be the mind that dreamed the day

the blueprint of your life

would begin to glow on earth,

illuminating all the faces and voices

that would arrive to invite

your soul to growth...”

John O'Donohue (To Bless the Space Between Us)

Take a moment to read the blessing above a second time, replacing “your” with “my.” To receive such a blessing, especially from oneself, would be transformational, wouldn't it? What if we were to get up every morning and instead of grumbling about the challenges and difficult personalities we would confront this day, we repeated these words,

“...Blessed are those who have loved [me]

into becoming who [I was] meant to be,

blessed are those who have crossed [my] life

with dark gifts of hurt and loss,

that have helped to school [my] mind

in the art of disappointment...” (O'Donohue)

Would blessing the events in our lives, including the unpleasant, even miserable ones, make them less painful. Would it dilute the bitter taste of them? If we were to convert our dreads into simple curiosity about what might happen next, what might open within us, would we feel more confident about facing them? What if we were to see opportunity in having to stretch ourselves to be kind in the face of hostility, if we were able to listen to criticism without defensiveness, and able to bless instead of curse those who oppose us. What if? Would we walk through the world differently—with peace in our hearts? And, wouldn't we extend that peace to others?

Today, whenever you feel frustrated, irritated, aggravated, bless instead of curse. Breathe deeply, and bless the moment. Be thankful that you can feel what you feel. You may be surprised by how your body/mind responds to that, and how it will calm your heart and soul.

                                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                                      Jane