Today, as I skipped by and glanced in my mailbox I spotted a letter just for me from one of my soul mates. Nothing feels better than a word or two from someone I love. And when it comes written and delivered by hand it's all the better. I slipped it in my pocket, next to my heart, so that I could open it and read it at the height of my relaxing walk. As I strolled through the park, hot cocoa in one hand, the letter in the other, I was brought to tears by the beauty (in it's words and timely appearance in my life) of this blessing:
For Longing
Blessed be the longing that brought you here
And quickens your soul with wonder.
May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.
May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
To discover the new direction your longing want you to take.
May the forms of your belonging - in love, creativity, and friendship -
Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.
May the one you long for long for you.
May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.
May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.
May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness with which your body inhabits the world.
May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage.
May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.
May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.
~John O'Donohue
To Bless the Space Between Us
© John O’Donohue. All rights reserved
It's a blessing I wish you as well.
Thank you, my Allie.
5 comments:
it's true. Nothing feels better than to receive a handwritten note from a person whom you love. I need to write more letters...
I sent it the day before I got a hand-written letter from you!
beautiful... i love it
It is so great to see how John’s work continues to weave “words of love . . . an invisible cloak, to mind your life.” I want to support you in sharing that inspiration and love; and I am also responsible for minding the technicalities connected with the preservation of John’s estate and literary legacy. Since you received the poem in a letter - you may not have all the pertinent info. Hopefully, this will help with that.
John’s family would be very grateful if you would add to your quote a note that gives the title of the book from which the poem is quoted (BENEDICTUS - in the U.K.; TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US - in the U.S.), as well as, the copyright attribution ( © John O’Donohue. All rights reserved). It would also be great if you could provide a link to the web site: www.johnodonohue.com — so that those who want to know more about John can come to us?
warmly and with gratitude,
Lindaa
Thank you, Linda. I was actually searching for the original source. I was hoping to find a german translation in my local library, but I don't think they have this particular book. I have made the updates now.
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