Our theme for services and events this month is ‘Celebrating Blessings’. Here, we share some inspiring quotations and some questions to give you food for thought.
Words of Wisdom
'When we bless others, we offer them refuge from an indifferent world.'
Rachel Naomi Remen
'I recognize that even in the valley of the shadow of my own tangled thoughts there is something holy and unutterable seeking to restore my soul … I always stop and touch the coarse gray bark of one particular tree with my hand or cheek, which I suppose is a way of blessing it for being so strong and beautiful. Who knows how long it has been standing there wearing its foliage like a crown even though a part of it is dying? Because of that quality
of sheer endurance one morning I found myself touching it not to bless it, but to ask its blessing, so that I myself might move toward old age and death with something like its stunning grace and courage.'
Frederick Buechner
'Sometimes our inner light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.'
Albert Schweitzer
'There is a reality in blessing... It doesn’t enhance sacredness, but it acknowledges it.'
Marilynne Robinson
Questions for Reflection
1. When in your life have you most felt like you were a blessing?
2. What summer in your life contained the most blessings? Is there any part of you that wants to recreate or re-experience some of those blessings this summer?
3. Has an obligation or burden ever surprised you with a blessing?
4. How would you complete the sentence: “I’ve been blessed with __________.”?
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