a blessing for the body

Blessed is the body that offers soft hugs on hard days. Whose curves fit our pets and our kids and our partners.

Whose hands hold another alongside hospital beds and in nursing homes and at the altar and on the first day of school.

Whose breasts nurse and legs run to chase littles and whose toes balance us on the earth. Whose wrinkles tell stories of laughs and tears and worries.

Blessed are these imperfect, fragile bodies. This flesh and bone.

These cells that sometimes duplicate for no reason whatsoever. This skin that is stitched together with scars and stretch marks and fine lines.

Blessed is the body because it is a home. Not just for us, but for those who love us.

And sometimes you just need to stand in front of the mirror and take off all your clothes, and remember that this body, your body, is God’s home address. 

p.s. That last line is inspired by Barbara Brown Taylor, who always says it best.