Dear friends,
All of us have the capacity to bless,
To wish well and to offer love and kindness.
This ability to send out thoughts and wishes of goodwill to people we meet is not a privilege conferred only on a priestly caste.
The capacity to bless is a gift enjoyed by all of us.
Inspired by that thought,
I invite you now to enter your quiet space.
Sit in your quiet chair or take up position on your meditation cushion to receive this blessing.
When you're ready,
Gently close your eyes and let us begin.
Take a few moments to become present,
To notice your surroundings,
Your body,
Its aches or pains or hopefully and thankfully the lack of them.
Notice your breathing.
Place your hand on your chest and feel your life-supporting heartbeat.
Notice the sounds around you,
The colours of day or the quiet restful darkness of evening.
Thank you for my existence in this present moment.
Thank you for all the benefits of my life.
Now imagine hands being placed on your head or on your shoulders.
Feel the warmth and the comfort of a gentle touch.
Today may you be filled with loving-kindness.
Today may you be the recipient of many acts of loving-kindness.
May loving-kindness be your gift to the people you meet along the way.
May you never be discouraged by your own failures or shortcomings or by the failures and shortcomings of others.
May the failures of people in your life act as a stop sign,
A warning of what can go wrong when we drift from the narrow path.
There but for fortune.
May the shortcomings of other people inspire you to do better yourself.
Just as all of us are put to loss by the failure of one,
All of us profit by the excellence of one.
Margaret Mead tells us,
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
Committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed,
It's the only thing that ever has.
So may you be motivated to do good.
And may you be a motivator of others,
So that seeing your good works,
They will be inspired to do the same.
May you be aware of the blessings which come your way every day,
Often without any effort on your part.
The unconditional love of other people,
The services we enjoy,
The regular supply of food,
Water,
Heating,
Lighting,
Sanitation,
The list goes on and on.
All the benefits of society,
And not to mention the often unnoticed benefits of air,
Sunlight by day,
A star-filled sky at night,
The amazing body we each inhabit,
And this wonderful world in which we all exist.
May your religion,
If any,
Be a religion which inspires you to do better.
Inspires you to love,
And which looks with loving kindness on people who follow a path different to your own.
Isn't it wonderful that we are not all the same?
That we are not all alike,
Like peas in a pod?
That each and every one of us is different in some way?
The magic,
The wonder,
The gift of diversity.
May you be inspired to perform acts of kindness,
And may each and every one of your good deeds be an inspiration to other people.
Today,
Above all,
May you be happy.
May you radiate happiness wherever you go.
May you be blessed.
May your life and your light be an inspiration in the world.
Namaste
