The writings of Irish poet, philosopher, priest, and advocate John O’Donohue have touched millions around the world. A Blessing for Presence—published in 1998’s Eternal Echoes. Exploring our hunger to belong*—is an especially good way to begin a day.

May you awaken to the mystery of being here
And enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
May you have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
May you receive great encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
May you respond to the call of your gift
And find the courage to follow its path.
May the flame of anger free you from falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame and anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
May you take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
May you be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift, Woven around the heart of wonder.

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The John O’Donohue Legacy Partnership website speaks of how the poet who spoke of his childhood home as “an ancient conversation between the land and sea” is remembered today.

“John’s legacy directs our search for intimacy to crucial thresholds: tradition and modernity, past and future, life and death, the visible and the invisible world. At the heart of John’s awakened beliefs was the premise that ancient wisdom could offer desperately needed nourishment for the spiritual hunger experienced in our modern world. John is fondly remembered by an international readership as one who could blend critical analytic thought with imaginative evocation, enabling people to release themselves from the false shelter of the familiar and repetitive to become agents of transformation and change.”

With hope for presence in your life today.

More to come . . .

DJB

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*Source: O’Donohue, J., (1998). Eternal Echoes. Exploring our hunger to belong. London, Bantam Books. p.139

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The Weekly Reader links to the works of other writers I’ve enjoyed.

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Photo by Ugne Vasyliute on Unsplash