SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,

you bless us with departures–
for they are a necessary part of our
journey, necessary for arriving.
May I be always ready to take
leave, always aware that every
arrival is a prelude to departure,
every birth a step toward dying,
and may I thus taste the blessing of
being fully present where I am.


Sense how it feels to honor the inevitability and gift of departures. When we acknowledge and appreciate the leave-takings in our lives, we cultivate resilience and welcome the wisdom of impermanence.

In each of the blessings shared in the Summer Blessings: Practice Series II, Br. David has followed a pattern — “first expressing delight in a blessing received, following with a resolution to pass it on.” We invite you to continue this pattern in your own life. Allow yourself to notice and delight in the blessings that surround you. Then, filled and inspired by the celebration, pass it on so that the blessings flow through and from you with heart and great-fullness.

We thank you for blessing us with your time and presence. We are grateful.

How has the practice of taking in and sharing blessings impacted or inspired you? We’d love to hear from you in the reflection area below…

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


Br. David Steindl-Rast
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.