a blessing for that space of yes/and


Blessed are you in the tiredness, the beauty of your grief,
where half-closed eyes can better hold and remember
all that is somehow good.

No contradiction here, no either/or,
just two truths we wouldn’t otherwise have seen,
let alone wanted to embrace.
Blessed are you, settling yourself there
in the space of yes/and,
where all that is true can be welcomed
not because it is easier, but because it is real.

Life is so beautiful. Life is so hard.

Looking for more blessings?

The Lives We Actually Have is a collection of 100 blessings to bless the ordinary, garbage, lovely, or grief-stricken days. You know, the days we actually have. So if you want a beautiful collection of blessings to return to time and again or to give to a friend, this is for you.

Sign up here to receive these blessings each week in your inbox.

Make your inbox a little more human.