Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Blessing"

Today's word is "blessing".

The word within it is "sing" - blesSING.

A blessing is a request for favor and protection.  It also describes the receipt of these, as well.

I will never forget visiting the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees in Guangzhou, China.  My daughter received a blessing from a Buddhist priest.  It was delivered as a chant and was a very moving moment.

Also...when I "count my blessings" or feel blessed, my heart sings.

On that note, I want to tell you what a blessing it is that you take time out of your very busy day to read these strange little essays I write.

I don't take your readership for granted.  I know I won't always deliver what you need, but know that I work hard to inspire and challenge you in fresh ways.

I'm curious how these two words connect in your life?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.  And click here to read all the posts so far.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

Comments

[Karen]

Keith - what a perfect word for "ash wednesday".. a day of blessing and sacrifices.

Sing and Blessing? a short story.. when I became catholic, the deacon told us about being in mass and singing! why is it that we sing! he said when your in church and honoring god and the blessings, singing is a part of that JOY! The joy that blessings bring. He said to us "I dont care if you cannot sing, or if you break glass doing it, you SING and be in glory, and you will feel it in your heart"

That is what this word reminded me of.. it's about singing the joy of the blessings we have everyday.

Today is a day of just that.. sacrifices and blessings, and tonight in mass? we will SING.

[Suzie Gallagher]

This sums up my life, I sing praises to the Lord all day. It is such a blessing to have him in my life, living in me. The gratitude that I feel that the King of Kings has pitched his tent in my heart is never ending. I am gobsmacked by the changes he has wrought in my life.
Writing is another blessing he has bestowed on me, being able to write after many years in the desert, in the wilderness, it is just amazing. I aim for a prose style that is singing so your post is just perfect today.
As we move into the Lenten season this year, as we remember 40 days and 40 nights in the desert for the Lord and if we also think of the wilderness as a blessing, we can sing, lift up holy hands to the Lord of lords.
BlesSING - perfick! thanks Keith

[Lizzie]

Well, my singing voice is certainly not a blessing :)

I can be so blind at times, but when my eyes are fully opened to the abundant blessings in my life, my entire being sings praise to God. Joy sometimes feels like a current of electricity, all of the sudden you just feel so very much alive. Seeing my blessings leaves me humbled, that the creator of the universe would take the time to bless little old me.

This is the perfect post for Ash Wednesday.

[Keith Jennings]

Karen,

Great story! I must confess that when I cued this word-in-a-word post a couple of weeks ago, I chose it in relation to the posts on "gifts" this week. I wasn't even thinking about Ash Wednesday!

(Thank God I didn't unknowingly choose something inappropriate!)

[Keith Jennings]

Suzie,

I just love reading your comments! Thank you for continuing to read and join in the conversation!

The connections you are making between blessing, song and the wilderness call to mind the origins of The Blues (music). Which evolved out of spirituals, work songs & chants.

I'm going to be chewing on this a LOT more! Thanks!

[Keith Jennings]

Lizzie,

Now that's funny right there! And I really appreciate your comment.

Reflecting on your comment with Karen's and Suzie's, my mind is racing with ideas around the effects of song. Song can bring blessing. It can lift our spirits. It does something mere words cannot.

Thanks!!!

[Kim]

This morning, I've been feeling a lot of anxiety. My son was sitting on the kitchen counter watching me cook eggs, and started singing "Since I Don't Have You" (he was telling me about a Guns N' Roses cover), and I joined in. We sang for a little while, and it soothed my anxiety and brought me back to now, where I'm connected to others, and everything is okay.

I started playing music when I was a small child, and I'm lucky enough to still be in a band today. Music always brings me back to this moment, whether I'm listening to it or playing it or just singing while I cook the eggs.

So, when we sang our song this morning, I thought of your post...and the blessing in being able to sing my way back towards grace.

Thanks, Keith :)

[vicki]

singing is joy! music is joy! your "strange little essays" bring delight, keith because of the words you choose and your joy in them! thank you for the blessing! vicki :)

[Adrian W.]

Being able to sing is a blessing for me. Though I'm 22, my lung capacity is effectively that of someone over 85. So being a part of any sort of singing (which necessitates breathing) is a blessing in my book.

[Stephanie]

Most of our liturgy in the Messianic Jewish synagogue that I attend is focused on blessing God. Many of the phrases start with Baruch atah Adonai (Blessed are You, O Lord). More than that, much of our liturgy is sung! I love worshiping in an environment where our blessings also fill the air with music.

[Keith Jennings]

Kim,

What a beautiful comment! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[Keith Jennings]

Vicki,

I really appreciate your sweet comment! Thank you! And, yes, music is joy!

[Keith Jennings]

Adrian,

Great reminder that the blessings many of us take for granted are deeply appreciated by others. Thank you!

[Keith Jennings]

Stephanie,

Me too! Thank you for sharing your tradition and experience! Very cool.

[georgia]

great wo{word}rd today!

my husband told me something about eight years ago that i will never forget. i was very sick at the time and i had remembered how my mom and dad always taught me to sing when faced with a battle... just the way jehoshaphat had his army do in the old testament written account found in 2 chronicles, chapter 20. i come from a very musical family and have sung my whole life, so this was easy for me to do from my heart, but difficult to do physically... from my lungs and voicebox, as i was weak at the time. still, i knew that singing would lift my spirits and help me "fight the battle". as my husband and i were driving to the hospital to have some tests done, i began to eek out a few lines from a song i had learned growing up.

he looked over at me and said, "i think one of my favorite things to hear is the sound of you singing." he had never said that before... not even when i sang while well. i'll never forget the moment. i knew right there that it was a blessing to him {somehow helping to put his fears to rest}. i guess i have always felt that singing was a blessing, as i have been in some type of choir for over half of my life so far. i know it blessed others, because whenever i toured with the choir in college, countless people told us how our concerts blessed them. but i also know it was a blessing to ourselves within the choir... to all sing together and make music come alive like that.

i've been passing on that heritage of the cool thing that a singing voice is to my son over the past eight months, just as my parents did for me. i try to sing to him every single day. but even if not with words or tune, i hope to bless him every day by singing other ways. that's why i like that you wrote how your "heart sings". even if we don't use our actual voice, we can sing in so many other ways... through gratitude and acts.

i've always wished i could write songs {double blessing!}, but never seemed to be "pick up" that talent. but i am at least glad that i have the ability to sing the songs that others write.

now that i have rambled on like usual, i'll tell you how glad i am to have found your voice out here in the blogosphere... not strange at all! i just passed on the link to your blog to a friend yesterday, and told her i think she will really enjoy your writing!

[Keith Jennings]

Georgia,

Unbelievably beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing this!

And thank you for sharing my blog with others! That means a lot.

[Karen]

Keith.. I just want to say, thank you for your word in Wednesday today... I went to mass and we all SANG about blessing.. I thought of your blog.. it was PERFECT.. it gave more meaning to the singing tonight in unity!

[Eileen]

Great word, Keith. Music has a way of touching my heart like nothing else. It's definitely a blessing in my life. I think King David would have agreed considering how often he shared his love for the Lord through song. :)

[Keith Jennings]

That is so great to hear, Karen! Reading everyone's comments today added depth and texture to this word-in-a-word.

[Keith Jennings]

Eileen,

I'm a music junkie, so I'm completely with you on this! Isn't it interesting our words touch us in ways music can't. But music touches in ways words can't?

They create an interesting tension!