One of my favorite poets is Marge Piercy. You may have heard of her from her past endeavors as a novelist; one of her most well known books is He-She-It. In a collection published in 1999 entitled “The Art of Blessing the Day,” Piercy explores the cycles of life through her experiences as a Jewish woman.

The title poem speaks to the sacred moments found in the mundane. It begins:

This is the blessing after drought:
Come down, wash the air so it shimmers,
A perfumed shawl of lavender chiffon.
Let the parched leaves suckle and swell.
Enter my skin, wash me for the little
Chrysalis of sleep rocked in your plashing
In the morning the world is peeled to shining.

The poem takes simple moments—a rainstorm-- and finds magnificence. As she reaches the culmination of the poem, she shares her philosophy of blessings. Her comment touched and informed me:

But the discipline of blessings of taste
Each moment, the bitter, the sour, the sweet
And the salty, and be glad for what does not
Hurt. The art is compressing attention
To each little and big blossom of the tree
Of life, the tongue sing each fruit,
Its savor, its aroma and its use.

I found the idea of blessings as a discipline quite powerful. It's so often that we assume that blessings simply are-- that we don't work for them. As visioned by Piercy we have to strive for them, look for them, and most especially, create the experience.

In her poem taste provides a powerful metaphor. When we take time to savor each bite and experience all the flavors—the sweet and the sour, the bitter and the salty—we are assured of a richer, more varied experience. In addition, Piercy cautions us to pay attention to every detail. Similar to truly paying attention to the flavors in our food, we must notice every blossom on every tree. We must recognize all the objects, all the aromas, all the tastes in our lives in order to be able to appreciate and bless them.

Importantly, her words also imply that all blessings aren't always joyous. Just as there are tastes we may not enjoy—ones that are so sour they make us pucker-- there are times, in fact, when life is disagreeable. Therefore, even pain is to be blessed. We all understand that to live fully means to hurt as well; we can't love without losing at some time. So, therefore, we must count every blessing—even those that may not be experienced as joyful. She understands that all of life must be recognized by blessings.

Piercy's collection of poetry is rooted in her experiences as a Jew. Sharing poems about her memories of Passover; her love of Shabbat; her understanding of Torah—Piercy shares with us her understanding of blessing through Judaism. Piercy's ideas of blessing are rooted in her love of tradition. Judaism strives to make much of our life sacred, and acknowledges that there are many moments in our lives – both wonderful and painful. We have many blessings -- short one-line prayers, to mark just about any occasion one can think of. Psalm 24:1 teaches: “The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof”. If we take this statement to heart, we understand that we are to bless all that is in the world as a gift from God. The rabbis that created many of these blessings often based their words on physical objects—such as food—but other blessings celebrating actions, or mourning loss, have been created as well. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook teaches that when we acknowledge God with a benediction, and thus recognizes God's creation in whatever we enjoy, we will experience a heightened appreciate of God's grace, lovingkindness, and wisdom which are present in all creation.

It is understood that we may need support in recognizing the sacred, or in finding words to make the moment; the blessings that were written are there to help us navigate through the maze of life.

In your Orders of Service I have included a handout. On it is a list of various blessings to be used at different times. I have included some that may be familiar; many will be new to you. Please take them out, so we can look at them together.

May we recognize the blessings in our lives; may we find our lips ready to utter words of heartache and gratitude alike. Amen.

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