Henri Nouwen said that a blessing is a word that is good for you to hear. As I chaplain, I offer blessings to people, and I facilitate people offering blessings to people. Another word for blessing is benediction.

Usually I do this in critical situations, in situations where death is coming soon. Sometimes I get to do this for newly born children, for couples, and for families.

I often tell people that blessing is a word you want to say to someone you care about. It is a word, phrase, sentence, or image that you want to share with a person and with God.

A blessing can be a prayer and vice versa, but a blessing doesn’t have to be directed to God. You can bless others.

Think of a person you’d like to bless. What’s something you want them to hear and an impact upon you that they’ve made? Put it all together, and risk offering it.