I am going to be speaking at a caregiver conference about “The Emotional Impact of Caregiving.” In that talk I will encourage caregivers to build emotional resilience in any way they can – exercise, rest, meditation, healthful diet, social interaction, and so on.

A highlight of this resilience-building list is a gratitude practice, taking a bit of time daily to focus on something for which you are grateful. This simple exercise has been clinically evaluated and proven to reduce cortisol levels significantly. It’s an effective stress reducer.

“Today I bless …” combines a gratitude practice with prayer. It’s as simple as this:

Begin by blessing God:

Blessed are you, Lord God, Creator of the universe,
for you have given us the power to bless in your name. 

Then use any blessing prayer to extend God’s love, mercy, goodness, and healing to someone or something that brought you joy today. This blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 is a good choice.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.

Finally, receive a blessing yourself. You need it, especially if you are feeling guilty! You may enjoy this video of the Priestly Blessing from Numbers sung in English and Hebrew by Marty and Misha Goetz -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4YB6fVvJo

This practice may easily be extended to bless people or situations that lead you to experience anger, fear, anxiety, or sadness. Blessing in this way is a fulfillment of Jesus’ command (Luke 6:28) to “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Of course, these are probably not actually cursing you or abusing you, but your emotions are responding as if they are.

Extending blessing in these painful places releases transformative love and compassion into them. Blessing is not just good wishes but a real spiritual power breathed and spoken into the world.

To learn more about blessing, see the chapter “The Practice of Pronouncing Blessings” in Barbara Brown Taylor’s book An Altar in the World, or Kerry Kirkwood’s book The Power of Blessing.