My Grandfather's Blessing

This week I did not have the blessing of talking to a healer in Vermont but I am reading My Grandfather’s Blessing and have found lovely thoughts within it’s pages I would enjoy sharing. In the second section of My Grandfather’s Blessing, Remen discusses “Becoming a Blessing” and how we (page 81) “refine the quality of our humanity throughout the course of our lives.” Through wisdom, one is taught by those and what surrounds them without being distracted and finding a way to (page 81) “embrace life without judgment.” Through vision, one can be aware of their environment which can change their perspective on life and see blessings all around them. If people can bless life, they allow love and blessings to continue on even after death. By becoming a blessing, the power of blessings passed on can be paid forward for great lengths of time and change many perspectives on living while sharing wisdom with the world.

            “Life offers its wisdom generously. Everything teaches. Not everyone learns.” (page 81) In order to gain wisdom one must open their body and soul to let in what is unknown to them. If people let life pass them by without allowing the surrounding environment to teach them about not only themselves but how they interact with others we as humans cannot spread wisdom. With wisdom, blessings can be passed on and people can create a larger wholeness within their lives.

“But paying attention is no simple matter. It requires us not to be distracted by expectations, past experiences, labels, and masks”. (page 81)

I find it very hard in today’s society to separate from the social ‘norm’ and let surroundings be a teacher rather than the media. It is easy to get distracted with our phones, computers, televisions, and bad influences, yet it occurs every day.  People will gain more wisdom when they allow themselves to be taught by environmental factors that most times they do not recognize on a day to day basis. If we did not have expectations or “labels and masks” in our world we would recognize blessings and wisdom more obviously than we do today.

            “Seeing the Buddha Seed” is one of the chapters that really stood out for me. Remen beautifully describes a common situation, how we may not always see what is directly in front of us.

“The act of seeing can transform the person who sees and cause us to see differently for the rest of our lives.” (page 93)

Many times people allow stereotypes or assumptions to cloud their vision; rather than opening our eyes and letting curiosity take a hold of us, we sit back and ignore things that may not be what they seem. For instance, when Remen is illustrating the scene on the plane it isn’t expected that the “very heavy black woman with a cranky two-year-old” (page 93) has such an incredible story. By seeing clearly without judgment or assumption any story or lesson can be unfolded in front of our eyes, changing our perspective on the entire situation. Here people find wisdom as well as blessings. Here we can become a blessing.

            Remen describes how “blessing life offers us a certain immortality” (page 106), and I completely agree with her. Through loving life, finding wisdom, and seeing without clouded judgment, we bless life and discover that we have become a blessing. When those we love pass on, they are still with us through the power of blessings.

“As Mitch Albom writes in Tuesdays with Morrie, “Death is the end of a lifetime, not the end of a relationship.” (page 108)

After my grandfather passed away there are still small things that constantly remind me of him, even simply looking at pictures I can get a sense that he is still here. Relationships have strong bonds and are not broken after death, it is a blessing to have those you love in your life and if they are not physically here they are spiritually with us. Sometimes it is more noticeable than others, but through this blessing of strong relationships there is wisdom; and through vision we can see blessings. Through relationships we find healing.