SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,
you bless us with gardens–
flower gardens, dizzy from
fragrant abundance, or beds in
neat rows, but above all the garden
we dream of, with wall, well, and
white-gravel walkways, its bench
shaded by fruit trees, its arbor of
grapevines or roses, its fountain,
stone steps, statues, and box hedge.
May it flourish, that garden of my
imagination, anywhere, welcoming
in any weather.
Sense how it feels to honor the bright abundance and generosity of gardens. When we take in gardens as the joyful outcome of our imaginations mingling with the exuberance of all that grows, we can appreciate the beauty inherent in wholehearted co-creation.
“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…
Enjoy the full eight-day Summer Blessings II practice series.
Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
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. Join Br. David Join in making your life work one of gratefulness by making a planned gift. Learn more about the Br. David Legacy Circle.
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Gardens are true blessings to mankind. They are the source of beauty to behold for they exhibit to the eye splendorous shades of color in varying majestic shapes and forms of flowers. They add sweetness to the atmosphere and provide nectar to the birds and bees. And in a vase, they bring joy and soothing comfort to those ailing in hospitals and nursing homes. Gardens truly represent hope in that what is buried in them in death, like a tiny seed, can produce the likes of a large, magnificent, red mum or a fresh, juicy, plump tomato. Most significantly and above all, the garden is symbolic of the abundant life, that which Christ proclaims to all His faithful followers! May all of you be truly blessed with the beauty, the splendor, the joy, the hope, and the good nourishment to your bodies that a well tended garden can provide.
The garden has always been a source of blessing for me. Whether helping my Mom and Dad plant marigolds in the beds in front of our wonderful front porch, visiting beautifully curated gardens like Longwood Gardens or Lewis Gunter Botanical Gardens, or planning, working in, or just walking through my own garden, it is always a blessing and brings me great joy and closeness to the Source of all Blessings ❤️. I love the idea of our wholehearted co-creation in the garden ❤️❤️❤️
I quite literally would not feel human without nature, wild or managed, all about me. We moved to the lovely, historic town of Beaufort, SC which is on the intercoastal waterway and so we have water and marsh all around us plus an abundance of these elegant, towering, moss-covered live oaks that are often 100-200 years old. Against this backdrop we felt led to have a really vibrant garden, with box hedges all around, palm trees, crepe myrtle, irises, flax lilly, ginger plants, and lots of deer-proof flowering things like copper canyon daisy, mexican sage and society garlic. It soothes and delights the spirit to have so much green and color all around.
Ahhh, my garden is my place of inspiration and is my church. The energy of all creation guides me in my gardening and my hands toiling the dirt brings me into a meditation of the essence of life! I am aware of the miracle of creation of all things and the simple beauty that explodes into magnificence! Our world is a blessing that we need to preserve as best we can. I am so grateful to have a spot of my own to add beauty to the world through my garden.
As I appreciate, enjoy and celebrate the diversity of flowers, etc. in gardens, may I appreciate, enjoy and celebrate the diversity in all of humanity. May I realize the only difference between a weed and a flower is judgement. Everything is a manifestation of the one Source.?