Thanks to Andrew Jones for getting the go-ahead to blog this, which is from his Anam Cara book.
He has a book of blessings coming out soon, which will doubtless be equally wonderful.
Beannacht ("Blessing")
On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
Driving through an icing storm that is layering its way across Minnesota tonight, within the warm confines of my car while weaving my way to pick up one of our children, I heard John O'Donahue's soft and gentle Irish lilt reciting "Beannacht" an Irish blessing he scribed for his mom following the death of his own father.
In this pre-recorded interview created for Minnesota Public Radio sometime in late 2007, John spoke eloquently, as only he could,of life, love, faith and loss.
If you are one who has experienced the loss of a loved one, to read this blessing yourself is comforting beyond measure. To hear his voice recite it is another experience entirely, one that defies the written word's ability to describe.
Oh, how he is missed.
What treasures he left behind.
Godspeed, dear John.
Fare-thee-well.
Posted by: Mary Nelson | March 03, 2008 at 03:47 AM