SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,

you bless us with tears — tears
of sorrow and tears of joy, tears
of outrage and of overwhelming
beauty. May I let them flow freely,
especially the waters that rise up
when the ice of anger cracks and
thaws in my heart, and the flood
tides of an oceanic feeling deep in
my heart that wash my eyes from
within and make me gentle toward
others.


Sense how it feels to honor the healing, cleansing work of tears. When we allow our tears to flow freely, we open to and trust the innate wisdom and healing power of our human hearts.

“May this patchwork quilt of blessings help to sharpen your taste for the gift of life in its innumerable facets,” Br. David writes. “May you grow ever more blessed, ever more able to bless.”

Should you be inspired, please leave a reflection below…

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Enjoy the full eight-day Summer Blessings II practice series.


Practices
Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

About the author

Brother David Steindl-Rast — author, scholar, and Benedictine monk — is beloved the world over for his enduring message about gratefulness as the true source of lasting happiness. Known to many as the “grandfather of gratitude,” Br. David has been a source of inspiration and spiritual friendship to countless leaders and luminaries around the world including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, and more. He has been one of the most important figures in the modern interfaith dialogue movement, and has taught with thought-leaders such as Eckhart Tolle, Jack Kornfield, and Roshi Joan Halifax. His wisdom has been featured in recent interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Krista Tippett, and Tami Simon and his TED talk has been viewed almost 10,000,000 times. Learn more about Br. David here.