a blessing for everyday empathy

Blessed are you, the sensitive one, attuned to the feelings of others.
You couldn’t turn it off if you tried.

Blessed are you with the emotional bandwidth to hear hard things,
without fixing or minimizing or deflecting,
You know the gift of presence.

Blessed are you who chooses to show up without judgment
with little gifts or small acts of practical help.
You know the gift of compassion.

Blessed are you, too, when you are utterly exhausted by other people’s problems.
(And actually now that we’re talking about it it’s getting even more annoying.)
Your empathy is a precious gift that deserves to be protected too.

Today, help me stand ready to hear those divine whispers nudging me to give compassion away.
Naturally. Freely.

And help me find those who, to my surprise, want to pour back into me.
(Which, fine, you know I hate receiving.)

Love given and received, without shame or embarrassment.
Because what else can a big-hearted person do but learn to give and get?