Lay a Blessing Stone
The invitation
I invite you to lay a “blessing stone.” Use words to bless someone whose suffering weighs upon your heart. Or to bless someone whose presence gladdens your spirit.
To lay your Blessing Stone, click the “comment” button below and write what you wish. (Reminder: To comment, you must be logged into your Substack account. Substack is the platform that hosts The Raft.)
To start us off, I laid these Blessing Stones on September 30, 2024:
Blessings upon my brother David and his family near Asheville, North Carolina, and upon everyone else caught in the destructive path of Hurricane Helene. May they have what they need.
Blessings upon all who are suffering in the widening conflict in the Middle East. May the peoples put a quick end to the violence and work hard together to create a just, lasting peace.
Blessings upon my dear friend Cindy, whose deep listening brings me more deeply into acquaintance with myself. May she be heard as well as she hears.
“It would be lovely if we could rediscover our power to bless one another.”
—John O’Donohue
The promise
This is a safe space of caring. Whatever you mean by “blessing,” and however you bless, you belong.
I promise to read your Blessing Stone mindfully and to magnify your caring spirit with my own.
I welcome all Rafters to join me in this practice. You may honor the Blessing Stones laid by other Rafters with your kind attention when you click the “comment” button, or use this link.
An invitation to the Blessing Stone page will now be part of every Raft mailing—always there when you need it.
As the poem says, let us be “at home in each other.”
P.S. The fabulous adapted my “Two Stones” poem into a song. Watch the music video here.
