As the year winds to a close, I am mindful of a hundred thousand ways in which good fortune has smiled down on me: plenty of nutritious food and water; a comfortable home with heat, hot water, and electricity; a job that I love; freedom from fear; good health; the privileges of liberty; dear friends; close relations. In being mindful of my own good fortune, I am mindful of the unmet needs of others. May we all be a little more grateful and a lot more generous in heart, mind, and substance in the new year.
This blessing I give:
May you never know hunger.
May peace fill your nights.
May your children’s children grow strong in the light.
(excerpt from A Hundred Thousand Welcomes)