The fifth practice in following the Way of Love is the practice of Blessing. This practice, perhaps more than any other practice in the Way of Love’s seven practices, is often misunderstood to be a special “reserved practice” for clergy or those who have made the “religious life” their daily life’s work. Several years ago, while serving at my first church as associate pastor, a very busy Sunday morning before worship required me to find someone to read the first Scripture lesson and say a blessing for the planting of a new tree in the church yard. With limited time available, I decided to “divide and conquer” these tasks – I asked the newly arrived Deacon to join the church school group outside and bless the tree, while I searched for a reader. After successfully finding a willing reader, I made my way to prepare for the upcoming service…only to be greeted by a frantic Sunday School Director, who was certain the tree would not be blessed before the service! I assured her I sent the Deacon to say the blessing; and she replied, “Yes, the Deacon is standing next to the tree, but refuses to bless the tree because they taught all the students in Deacon school, only Priests can do that!” Off to the tree I went, said the blessing, and then, after Sunday services, I assured the Deacon that God does not hear the blessings of Priests alone…that all of God’s children are sources of the eternal and perfect Love of God, and the blessings of everyone are heard quite equally. I am very happy to say that Bishop Budde shares this idea of blessings in her chapter of the practice of Blessing. To bless is to invite the reality of God’s Love and Goodness into our awareness; often a state of God’s presence that already exists, but perhaps we are still working toward that reality. It is like the picture above: the dim light of early sunrise hides many features and marks of beauty that exist in God’s world, and the blessings of light bring all these marks and moments of Love to our waking consciousness. To bless is a powerful practice of the Way of Love.