Blessings of the Hands
Blessed be these hands that have touched life.
Blessed be these hands that have eased death.
Blessed be these hands that have reached out with compassion.
Blessed be these hands that have drawn blood and administered medicines.
Blessed be these hands that have cleaned beds and disposed of waste.
Blessed be these hands that have anointed the sick and offered blessings.
Blessed be these hands that have opened the door to help.
Blessed be these hands that grow stiff with age.
Blessed be these hands that have comforted the dying and held the dead.
Blessed be these hands as we hold the future in these hands.
Blessed be our hands for they are the hands of love and compassion.
A Caregiving Benediction
Barton, Jane / Caregiving for the GENIUS, 2013
May we have the courage to care for each other.
May we feel companioned on the caregiving journey.
May we have the wisdom to prepare to care.
May we have sustaining faith to confront our fears.
May we graciously offer and receive help.
May we discover strength unimagined during times of loss.
May we remain hopeful during the times of trial.
May we recognize the sacred in the ordinary.
May we engage the journey one step at a time.
May we be grateful for the moment.
May we humbly answer the call to care.
May we listen well, love deeply, and live fully—all the way to the end of the road.
May it be so.