Last Sunday, the Dominguez family — five in all — were confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And with each confirmation, of course, came a blessing. The blessings were long. We almost had a blessing meeting instead of a sacrament meeting.
One of the things people with a spiritual bent find most touching about the Mormons is the number of blessings they give each other.
Fathers are constantly taking a hand to their kids — to bless them.
If you’re about to travel, about to head off to school, if you’re ill, if you’ve just been born, baptized or called to serve, you’re a candidate for a blessing. These blessings are usually very personal.
Let me tell you a little story.
(Sentiment alert here.)
You’ve heard if you can’t sleep you should count your blessings. Well, one night I tried it. Only the blessings I counted were priesthood blessings I’d received at the hands of family, friends, leaders and even strangers.
I came up with several dozen before dozing off.
At birth, my father blessed me. My mother was savvy enough to take notes. I still have that blessing. I often roll it around in my mind.
When I had a heart attack in Dallas, two LDS missionaries appeared out of nowhere to give me a blessing.
My wife and I were blessed by the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. (That day, I was savvy enough to take mental notes.)
The list goes and grows.
There were blessing from patriarchs, blessings from bishops, home teachers, companions. I even got a blessing from the guy who delivers our mail.
Over the years the phrase, "Would you give me a blessing?" has been worn completely smooth in the church by millions of tongues.
That was one thing that stood out when I saw "The Book of Mormon" musical.
Nobody asks “Would you give me a blessing?” All these life-threatening situations — people suffering from maggots, AIDS, dysentery and depression. Yet no elder offers to give a blessing. And the suffering missionaries never ask for one.
It’s possible the writers didn’t know any better. But I doubt that. They got too many other “insider” things right. No, I suspect the writers realized having the elders bless a suffering child would add a tender tone to things that they couldn’t afford. It would take all the fun out of the show for those who’d come to laugh. It would change things.
But then that’s what blessings do. They change things. They change the atmosphere in a room, the tone of a relationship, the quality of a person’s attitude.
Blessings alter everything they touch.
And not just the blessings we receive, but also those blessings we give.
I’ve probably been changed more by the blessings I’ve given than the ones I’ve gotten.
And that’s a blessing in itself.