Summer Blessings: Surf

SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,

you bless us with surf, with its
ever new moods and voices, its
thunder, its whisper, its hissing, its
growl, its groan, its laughter, its
music, its roar; with its shades of
gray and green and blue and brown
and its rainbows now and then;
with its spray, its foam, its spit;
and with its innumerable smells I
cannot name. May I, no matter how
far away from the ocean, hear, see,
smell, and feel it in my heart.

Sense how it feels to honor the changing activity, sounds, and rhythm of surf. When we notice the range of expressions of that which emerges from the fullness, depth, and majesty of the ocean, we can expand our capacity to appreciate diversity that comes from a single source.

“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.

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