Heather Concannon serves as the settled minister of the Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Previously she served as the Minister of Faith Formation at the Unitarian Universalist Area Church in Sherborn, Massachusetts. She is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and lives in Boston with her family. Allison Palm serves as the settled minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, New Hampshire. Previously, she worked for the UU Ministers Association and served congregations on Long Island and in the Boston area. She is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist from Minnesota and lives in Nashua with her family.

"A gorgeously written and practically useful book of blessings for every occasion. Sensitive and imaginative, these words will touch your heart and lift your spirit!" —Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices"With so much shifting in our lives and our world today, here is a valuable resource for engaging the power of rituals to make brave space for change. Heather Concannon and Allison Palm have gathered in one volume a rich and diverse collection of specific rituals that honor the sacred ground of transition. They also offer wise guidance for developing new rituals and blessings that are inclusive, expansive and empowering of participants. In our personal lives and our communities, Blessing It All will illuminate a promising way through times of great change.” —Karen Hering, author of Trusting Change: Finding Our Way Through Personal and Global Transformation“Rev. Palm and Concannon provide the necessary tools for each of us to create rituals for every occasion. In this remarkably comprehensive compendium, distilled from a roster of diverse authors, are rituals to mark life’s milestones—unions and separations, losses and gains, transitions and continuances, quiet moments of reflection and boisterous outbursts of joy, retreats for rest and healing, and marches forward toward action and justice. We are reminded of the sacredness of every moment and are compelled to bless them all.” —Anthony Y. Stringer, Ayanna Kafi Loebe, and Rev. Duncan Teague, authors of Imani Rituals: Nurturing African Spiritual Heritage“This book is a treasure chest. Open it and you will find 73—yes, count them, 73—rituals, some for occasions you may be used to celebrating or otherwise honoring in ritual, and other rituals that never even occurred to you. Each one is presented complete with a materials list, a script, and notes on the intention and purpose of the ritual. There are also suggestions in this book for how to create your own ritual. Here you will find still more treasure—reflections on what ritual is for and how it can deepen and transform the shared life of your Unitarian Universalist or other faith community, your family or group of beloved friends, even your relationship with your own transforming self. This book can bring us all to our senses about what we value and how to embody our values in meaningful ways. A treasure chest indeed!” —Rev. Barbara Child, editor of The Spirit That Moves: Readings and Rituals for Times of Change and Transition“Revs. Heather and Allison have offered us a gift of such immeasurable value. They offer us each a way to deepen our spiritual lives with reflection and connection. They have offered our communities a way to care for each other more deeply and hold each other in love. And they have offered our movement a way to deepen our spiritual lives and grow our tradition toward love and care.” —Matt Meyer, musician, educator, worship leader, and author of Desmond Gets Free

• IntroductionHandle with Care: Context and Covenant for RitualsPractical Tips for RitualsPermissions and Guidelines for AdaptationsRituals for Individuals and FamiliesGrounding and CenteringFor Daily ReflectionFor a New YearFor Everyday AdventuresFor DiscernmentFor Entering and Exiting SilenceMilestone MomentsFor Preparing to Give BirthFor AdoptionFor WeaningFor Starting at a New SchoolFor Life Transitions for a Person with Intellectual Disability and/or Autism Spectrum DisorderFor Coming OutFor Affirming Names and PronounsFor Release from Prison, Jail, or DetentionFor RetirementPartnershipFor the Union of More Than Two PartnersFor Acknowledging Community in a WeddingFor a Blended FamilyFor Separation or Divorce (for Both Partners)For Separation or Divorce (for an Individual)For a Partner Near the End of LifeCreating HomeFor Blessing a New HomeFor Bidding Farewell to a HomeFor Blessing a Temporary Home After DisasterBlessing Our BodiesFor Assisted ConceptionFor AbortionFor Planned HospitalizationFor a HysterectomyFor Beginning Gender-Affirming Hormone TherapyFor Gender Affirmation SurgeryFor a Service Dog PartnershipFor an Assistive DeviceFor Head Shaving during ChemotherapyFor a Loved One with Dementia or Cognitive DeclineGrief and MemoryFor Losing a Wanted PregnancyFor a Baby Who Has Died or Will Soon DieFor Blessing a Body after DeathFor Blessing a Space Where a Loved One Has DiedFor the Dedication of a Memorial Bench or TreeFor the First Anniversary of a DeathFor Burying or Scattering the Ashes of a PetRituals for Congregations and CommunitiesHealing, Hope, and BlessingFor Mending a Broken CovenantFor Honoring Grief and GratitudeFor Letting GoFor Those Living on the Threshold of Significant ChangeFor Honoring EldersFor Carrying Hope after Collective LossFor Honoring Our Connection to WaterFor Saying Goodbye to a Sacred SpaceFor Breaking Ground on a Building ProjectFor Blessing a New or Renovated Church BuildingFor the Days following a Natural DisasterFor the End of a Natural Disaster SeasonFor the First Anniversary of a Natural DisasterSeasons and CyclesFor Blessing BackpacksFor Beginning and Ending a Congregational YearFor Celebrating the HarvestFor Coming Out DayFor Veterans DayFor Transgender Day of RemembranceFor the Season of Creative DormancyFor Grief during the Winter HolidaysFor the Winter SolsticeFor a New YearFor Earth DayFor Acknowledging Mother’s, Father’s, and Parents’ DaysFor PrideWorking for JusticeFor Blessing the OrganizersFor Direct ActionFor Nourishing Justice MakersFor Lamenting and Setting Intentions to Heal White Supremacy CultureFor Blessing a Congregational Black Lives Matter BannerFor Survivors of Sexual Assault and HarassmentFor Trauma in the NewsCrafting Your Own Rituals