God Girl reminded me of the moving poetry and inspiring life of John O’Donohue, who was interviewed by Krista Tippett of Speaking of Faith.
I double-dog dare you to read the poem, or listen to the author read it in the video, without choking up.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZfvS2LYbZLQ" width="400" height="326" wmode="transparent" /]
Beannacht
From John O’Donohue’s Echoes of Memory
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.
via The Dude Abides
Other books by the same author:
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
