Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for inviting us
to see ourselves—
in You,
in child and spouse,
friend and stranger.
Blessed are You
for showing us
that whichever way we go
we are held,
and with all our imperfections
we are sacred.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for inviting us
into ourselves
and hinting
it may not be
as scary as we thought.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for human love,
made in the image of divine love,
inviting us to receive ourselves
as we are received into the arms of another.
Blessed are You
for warm hugs,
eyes that see a hurting heart,
not looking away,
but wrapping with compassion
the raw insides,
too much to hold alone.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for interlaced fingers,
a shoulder soaking up tears,
and the surprise of surplus:
freely you have received, freely give.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for tears—
gentle trickle wetting cheeks,
or soggy, snotty tears of billowing sorrow
or fear,
or shame.
Blessed are You
for the intimacy of tears,
the honor of witnessing
the inside
of another human being,
coming out.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for Jesus weeping
tears of sorrow,
anguish,
compassion,
consecrating our tears with Yours.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for the communion of cheeks,
for the wonder of my daughter
pressing her cheek to mine,
holiness that swells my heart.
Blessed are You for creating
what we instinctively hold to our cheeks—
puppies and chicks,
a fuzzy peach,
faces we love,
soft things,
a cool glass of water.
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for giving us courage
to turn a cheek
toward the things that scare us,
inviting them into shared holiness.
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