What power and comfort are in Ultima's last and final words. She couldn't sum up her whole life any better. This is what she has taught Antonio. There is no other finality needed. This blessing seals Ultima's life, with all the good that is in her, in the most powerful of words. So what is a blessing exactly? There are many kinds and definitions. Antonio's blessing here seems more like a prophecy that hard times will come, but that he has all the help he could want/need to press forward.
We don't know how Antonio receives this counsel/blessing/promise. But it seems as though she had been continuously blessing Antonio throughout the novel and this is just a final pronouncement. Because of the on the job training, the spiritual and intellectual growth, and the horrid deaths that Antonio experiences, he is blessed with knowledge and power. He has seen what it takes to follow god- whether that's in the Catholic, golden carp, or cuendera way. He has witnessed death and healing. He has moved from childhood innocence to understanding more of the world.
So it remains, what is a blessing? Knowledge, strength, power, gentle breezes, owls singing, words of comfort, direction in life, personalized scripture, a call to action, anything beautiful, love, life...
But no matter how many or what blessings we receive we should ask ourselves:
...if not we have failed, indeed. Antonio we hear or presume grew up to be a writer and is blessing the lives of all his readers. How will you take your blessings and share them?
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