A Blessing for Athletes at the End of a Semester

Blessed are you,

standing before the mountain of books,

the endless pages of notes,

and the blinking cursor on a paper that demands more of you

than you think you have to give.

Blessed are you

who barely remembers to eat

and drink water.

Who needs to be reminded to breathe,

to rest,

to trust that enough is truly enough.

Blessed are you

whose season has ended,

leaving behind the cheers, the exhaustion,

and a space that aches with its absence.

And blessed are you

whose season waits just around the corner,

its demands a quiet hum beneath your exams and essays.

Blessed are you,

caught between the joy of the holiday season ahead

and the relentless grind that keeps you here,

not quite free yet,

but oh, so close.

Blessed are you

with a heart pulled in two directions,

between the rigors of training and the demands of classwork,

learning the sacred art of balance,

even when it feels impossible.

May you pause, just for a moment,

to remember this truth:

You are loved now.

You are loved tomorrow.

You are loved forever.

And may you rest.

Even here.

Even now.