Summer Blessings: Dragonflies

Enjoy this practice as a stand-alone experience or as the seventh of an eight-day series of blessings inspired by Br. David's book "99 Blessings: An Invitation to Life."

SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,

you bless us with dragonflies —
their very name evoking happy
summer days, water and reeds, the
heat of high noon, deep-blue skies,
and a stillness so vast that I can
hear the glassy clinking of their
wings as they flit by. They have
been celebrating life like this for a
hundred million years. May I watch
with respect these old-timers,
learning from them as I stretch
lazily on the sun-warm deck.

Sense how it feels to honor the ancient, delicate and playful dance of dragonflies. When we allow ourselves to shimmer, celebrate and play, we cultivate resilience and joy.

“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 I 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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Community Conversation

Mandy

The feeling that I experience when I am so fortunate to see a dragonfly is out of this world……my heart jumps of happiness, and whole being is dancing along….So grateful to these experiences!!
Gratitude and love to the dragonflies
Thanks Br. David.

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The feeling that I experience when I am so fortunate to see a dragonfly is out of this world......my heart jumps of happiness, and whole being is dancing along....So grateful to these experiences!! Gratitude and love to the dragonflies Thanks Br. David.

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Maria

As a child grow up in the village – going through the seasons of planting & harvesting rice field..near the river… I have been always delighted to see the droganflies fly freely.. I Never knew what it meant but there was this feeling of joy, light spirit as I get close to them.

Wow! How facinating to learn they have lived millions of years.. how could it be? Amazing ! Nature never fail to enchant me with its tiny beautiful creatures… How grateful I am to be part of this web of life. Thank you…

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As a child grow up in the village - going through the seasons of planting & harvesting rice field..near the river... I have been always delighted to see the droganflies fly freely.. I Never knew what it meant but there was this feeling of joy, light spirit as I get close to them. Wow! How facinating to learn they have lived millions of years.. how could it be? Amazing ! Nature never fail to enchant me with its tiny beautiful creatures... How grateful I am to be part of this web of life. Thank you...

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Arlie10098

Stopping to appreciate and learn about the many beautiful creatures on earth lifts my heart. Also the many myths and symbolic meanings that man’s creative mind has dreamt is also fascinating.
https://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.html

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Stopping to appreciate and learn about the many beautiful creatures on earth lifts my heart. Also the many myths and symbolic meanings that man’s creative mind has dreamt is also fascinating. https://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.html

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Pilgrim

I love thinking of dragonflies as old timers, since I am near enough to that category myself. A hundred million years … wow! These winged ones have been part of my life since summer childhood trips to various cottages and water sources. Yesterday, near my walking pond, there they were again! Grateful for this lifelong seasonal companionship.

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I love thinking of dragonflies as old timers, since I am near enough to that category myself. A hundred million years ... wow! These winged ones have been part of my life since summer childhood trips to various cottages and water sources. Yesterday, near my walking pond, there they were again! Grateful for this lifelong seasonal companionship.

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