Jan Richardson is a writer, artist, and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. She serves as director of the Wellspring Studio, LLC, and makes her home in Florida. You can examine her artwork, writing, and more at her blogs and websites: The Painted Prayerbook, The Advent Door, Jan Richardson Images, and JanRichardson.com.

In the introduction to this paperback that carries us through the seasons of the Christian church year, she writes:

"Within the struggle, joy, pain, and delight that attend our life, there is an invisible circle of grace that enfolds and encompasses us in every moment. Blessings help us to perceive this circle of grace, to find our place of belonging within it, and to receive the strength the circle holds for us."

What are the benefits of this spiritual practice? Blessings call upon and convey God's deepest desire for our wholeness and well-being. They illuminate the link between the sacred and the ordinary. As channels of the Divine, they are a profound means of grace. They acquaint us with the mystery that lies at the heart of God.

Richardson respects the improvisation of the Holy One who often hides blessings in the darkness. The same divine presence is with those who "bear the light/in unbearable times." There is a relevance here to the fog of fear which is afoot in our culture as terrorism and mass shootings hold us in gloom and dread. In these times, blessings do not cower but stand tall in "stubborn hope,/in love that illumines/every broken thing/ it finds."

For Richardson blessings abound in hope which "draws us past our limits" and bond us with others as we breathe together. A blessing "keeps nothing for itself" and "simply desires/to have room enough/to welcome/ what comes."

All blessings emanate from a deep and holy place of gratitude within us. Anyone trying these practices will reap the benefits of extending his or her love to others. In these fear-laden times, blessings are more important than ever.