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. . . to give you a name and a blessing. The name you will be known throughout life and on the records of the church is Tardigrade Spellbinder Peck.

I bless you that you will be lucky. That you will have an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. As you go through life, I bless you that people that can help you will be drawn to you, and feel a desire to assist you.

You were born into a world of privilege. Never thank God for the luck of your placement on this earth. Never thank the Lord for blessings that you have received that others have not. Follow the example of Father Abraham who pled with the Lord to save the city of Lot when he had a mind to destroy it. When you feel blessed to have been healed, remember those who have not been and plead with the Lord that they also be made whole. When you feel blessed because your lost child is found, remember that your neighbor’s child remains missing. If you are tempted to feel blessed because you were born on this side of a wall, remember that many were born on the other side. Thank not the Lord for blessings reflecting only the accident of your birth until all have received these blessings too.

Even so, thank the Lord lavishly for misfortune. It is the greatest teacher you will encounter.

Remember that you are born of rich pioneer stock and this heritage is an honor and responsibility. Remember it was your ancestors who first used their fins to climb from Earth’s shallow seas. That it was your grandmothers who took to the trees and developed the grasping hands which allow you to do so much. Remember it was your pioneer ancestors who walked among the most ferocious and fearsome predators to have ever lived and these grandparents thrived fantastically on the flat landscape of Africa’s dangerous savannah. Remember you are from a long line of survivors. You can survive as well. Therefore I lay upon your head the blessings of cunning, of spotting predators, and the gift of being able to build a fire when you are cold, all these both in reality and metaphorically. Share your fire with all who seek its warmth.

Walk among the creatures of this place. Remember the gift of the Earth. As all have this blessing, thank the Lord lavishly for the air you breathe, for the water you drink, for the abundance of life that feeds, clothes, and sustains you. Show your gratitude to the Lord by the care you offer this home your heavenly parents have provided. Walk in and preserve the wild places of the earth so that all may enjoy communion with the divine in the holiest of temples, the Lord’s house, this home.

Follow the Spirit in all you do. Remember that it is best used with the other gifts you have been given by your Heavenly Parents: Rationality, Common sense, Deliberation, Study and Pondering, Insight, and Love. Most often its voice will call you to render service and love. The more you love, the more you will feel the Spirit. Be warned, it is easy to mistake your own voice for the Spirit’s, and it will rarely be the first thought that pops into your head. Therefore be patient in learning how to follow its voice.

Learn the voices of others. Hear those that speak from skins not of your own shade and hue. Remember that we are all children of God. Hear the voices of people from other nations, principalities, and kingdoms. Hear the voices of genders other than your own and from those who find the call to love differently than you. Hear those speaking from religions far and wide. From cultures old and new. Learn the voices of those enabled differently than you, and may your own disabilities complete you. Read the stories and poetry and perspectives of those with experiences other than those with which you are familiar. Cherish the scriptures. Both your own and those of others. Listen widely to the music of your brothers and sisters. See in them the face of your Heavenly Mother and Father. And most of all share your voice often and let it join with theirs in praise of the Highest.

I bless you that you may find love in your life. And that you may take these special people and seal them in your heart to rise with you in the resurrection.

In times you feel desiccated of spirit, drained of life, empty of the spiritual nutrients that sustain and bless you, remember the name you were given. These wondrous Tactopods can serve as a metaphor for lightless times. They can survive the emptiness of space, and sometimes in life you will know the void. Curl tight around what life you have, and trust in others to help you find again those things you need to flourish. Abide.

I bless you with wonder. With curiosity. With awe at this wonderful universe. Your life is a work of art, you are free to make it what you will. Make it something you are proud of. God will help if invited.

I bless you with all of the Deathly Hallows, an invisibility cloak, an undefeatable wand, and stone to recall the dead. All these are found in your heart. May you always be invisible to those who would harm you. May your heart and its goodness never be defeated, and may the stone of your fine memory recall the dead who have gone before whose help you will recognize as those who have and will help you on your way.

In name of Christ the Holy One, may you be blessed. Amen.