"Blessing, rightly understood, is the invisible bloodstream pulsating through the universe," Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast writes in the introduction to 99 Blessings. As he makes a habit of giving thanks and writing down his gratitude, a gentle rhythm--almost like a heartbeat--develops.
In a world filled with daily frustrations and fraught with larger tragedies, gratitude and blessing can provide grounding and healing for people of any spiritual persuasion. Brother David does not proselytize; his lyrical prose is infused with whimsy and grace. He gives thanks for gifts as mundane as spoons and forks, as ordinary and wondrous as dragonflies, cows, palm trees or the smell of leather. Several familiar subjects make appearances--hospitality, deep friendships, healing hands, memory--Brother David is equally grateful for archetypes, flea markets, the Internet and "moments when nothing happens."
Admitting that words sometimes fail him, Brother David nevertheless calls attention to both small, daily blessings and larger, anchoring joys (including "all that cannot be expressed in words"). After a blessing for "unfinished business," he leaves his 100th blessing as a open-ended template--a nudge for readers to give thanks for their own gifts. Receiving and acknowledging blessings is only the beginning; as Brother David notes, "Blessings are life-giving only as long as we pass them on."
Full of lucent images and quiet humor, 99 Blessings is an invitation to savor the gifts of everyday life and look for ways to share them with others. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams