A Blessing for Solitude
Weekends are busy for some. Full of fun activities, friends and family busyness, perhaps even travel. For others it is a time to play "catch up." To do errands, chores, laundry or yard work.
Whatever this weekend holds in store for you, may you find some precious moments of solitude to nurture your soul.
Whatever this weekend holds in store for you, may you find some precious moments of solitude to nurture your soul.
“For Solitude”
by John O'Donohue
May you recognize in your life the presence,
power, and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the
universe.
May you have respect for your individuality and
difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is
unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the facade of your life
there is something beautiful and eternal happening.
May you learn to see your self
with the same delight,
pride, and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
(Excerpted from:
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue (Doubleday, 2008)
"Solitude," a painting by Tatiana Yushmanova.)
~~~0~~~
She's a Winner!
She was randomly chosen to receive a Starbucks Coffee Gift Certificate as a result of her comment on "Just For Fun...Have A Cup on Me."
This was Jill's entry:
"My spirit flavors my senses.
My spirit sweetens my disposition.
My spirit stirs my imagination.
My spirit nourishes my dreams."
My spirit sweetens my disposition.
My spirit stirs my imagination.
My spirit nourishes my dreams."
Her substitute word choice fits in perfectly with today's post too! I love when that happens ...
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17 comments:
Thanks so much for the O'Donohue poem -- it was just what I needed to read this weekend, for many reasons. I'm also enjoying your forum over at Women Bloom. Lovely!
Thank you Jan for the beautiful poem filled with deep meaning to ponder
The poem is very beautiful and fitting for this morning. Thank you Jan!
Solitude. Both a blessing and a curse for me.
At its best, it nourishes and renews my spirit, provides me with quality time to spend with myself, and reintroduces a sense of peace and balance into my life.
At its worst, it isolates and ostracizes me from others.
I'll be aiming for the first option this weekend.
**Funny - my word verification today is "nesti".
Blessings,
Carolynn
Beautiful blessing and painting, Jan. Thank you! I absolutely adore O'Donohue.
Solitude, and the ability to enjoy it, are such blessings. I wish you a weekend filled with blessings, dear Jan.
Hugs,
Angela
Cindy,
I am always so happy when a post touches the heart at just the right time. May you be peaceful and at ease this weekend, whatever transpires. Blessings!
Sema,
I love all of O'Donohue's work. It speaks to the heart in amazing ways.
Tabitha,
I am glad. Be happy and well, my friend, and enjoy your weekend.
Carolynn,
You bring up such an important point and I am happy you did. Solitude can be a blessing and a curse. We are women cut from the same cloth (I have felt that for a while now. :-) I love my solitude. It is absolutely vital for my well-being and creative work, but there does come a point when I definitely need to be out in the big wide world, communing with others. I can get a bit maudlin and uninspired when the periods of solitude get lengthy. So you are not alone at all in this.
The great sages of the past advised periods of both. Both are necessary to be "whole." I often thing of Jesus who spent so much time with others in ministry, but then he made sure he took plenty of time alone. As did the Buddha, Muhammad, etc.
So discernment is in order. Any play!
Angela,
May your weekend be blessed too. I am traveling later today. Time to deliver a "sermon" at a Unity church downstate, something I always look forward to doing. I will find moments of solitude, esp. in the car, as it is a 3 hour drive and I have no radio or cd player. Pure contemplation. :-)
Yeah me!!! Looking forward to spending some time in solitude sipping my latte.
i've been lucky enough to have a weekend that includes fun, laughter, exercise, shopping, and creating
it's been a busy one and not over yet
love this blessing too
just added this book to my library and loving it, worth every cent
Oh Jan this is so beautiful to read today. I have so much catching up to do! I love the photo that goes along with this too. Thank you for the extra bit of peace today!
I love my solitude for soul nurturing too. And the poem is beautiful.
Thank you for sharing the poem by O'Donohue. I wake up sometimes as early as 6am on days off and weekends, just to hear the silence in the house. For me, solitude and silence are so important in order to hear what my own heart is trying to say.
Jill,
Yes, congratulations to you! Be well...
Kel,
I am glad that your weekend has turned out be a restorative one for you. I do love this O'Donohue book. One of my favorites. I will often just turn to a page randomly and meditate with it.
Carolynn,
Glad you are back and glad that this poem and pic touched your heart.
Jannie,
Even the most social of us need solitude time, eh?
Mermaid,
Happy to hear that you treasure the silence and attune yourself with it for deeper listening. :-) A very important spiritual practice, as you know...
I am so blessed with lots and lots of solitude, some would be lonely living alone, but I need so much solitude it is perfect for me.
Hey, Jan did you notice we posted on each others blog at the same time. Just as I clicked off of your blog and back to mine I saw you had just left a comment on my last post. Awesome :-). I love it when things like that happen :-).
Annie,
I did notice that. Wonderful weirdness!
Yes, you are someone who does need long periods of solitude, as am I. I can't seem to really get into a deep creative flow without a number of consecutive days of alone time. :-) Thankfully, my friends and family honor this...
A beautiful poem and a beautiful painting. I don't always comment but I return again and again to take in the serenity I find here.
Our 26 year old daughter passed away on 1/17/12. About a month the funeral, a friend gave us a copy of To Bless The Space Between Us. I was struck by how I had lived each paragraph over the few months I read it. Thank you so much,
Cathy
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