March 2014: Irish Blessings
May the blessing of the rain be on you—
the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.
~Irish Blessing
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, the blessings of the Irish come to mind for this month’s blog. While it feels more apt to snow than rain with this fickle weather, the sentiment is fitting for this time of year—for our spirits to be rejuvenated, spreading joy to others. The spring rains will come and with it new growth shedding sweetness on the air, highlighted by blue skies and reflective puddles. All the better in our spirits as well as upon the earth.
Having had surgery earlier this month—after a week of recovery, slowly returning to regular rhythm and routine—it feels like I’ve rounded a corner, turned a page, begun a new chapter. How fitting that it coincides with the turning of the seasons.
With the blank page before me, I wonder what will be written as the chapter moves ahead. It’s off to a good start, at any rate, with physical as well as spiritual healing. This time of rest has prompted rethinking who I am and what I want out of life as well as what I contribute to Life as a whole.
I have affirmed that much of my life will continue to focus on helping women be the best they can be: to overcome internalized messages, limitations of socialization, toxic relationships; to broaden their view of themselves and how they live in the world.
It’s certainly been a life changing, healing journey for me. I’m yearning to peek around the next corner to see what’s ahead; but I haven’t mastered ‘living in the moment’ yet. For now, I will anticipate spring’s gentle rains to enliven my spirit once again, to encourage new growth that sweetens the air—and the people—around me. Maybe those tears of grief I wrote about awhile back truly are enriching the soil of my soul. I look forward to nurturing what sprouts!
May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
~Irish Blessing
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!