This is a book of blessings, of which I noted three for a reread - 'At the End of the Day: A Mirror of Questions', 'For solitude', and 'For the Time of Necessary Decision'. As I noted back at the start of the year in a mini-review, the way O'Donohue delivers his message is perhaps more meaningful than the words themselves, and his presence infuses each page of this book with the support we need to keep a straight back as we step across each of life's thresholds.
To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue (May 2019)
The idea that has remained with me since reading this work is that modern culture has moved forward without replacing the rituals we once relied on to support us as we crossed the thresholds separating one stage of life from the next. The poetic words in this book are meant to fill in some of this empty space with the power of a word, phrase, or sentence to embolden our resolve, broaden our perspective, and enrich our journey.
Of course, most of life is spent in the in-between, where thresholds are but fading memories or far-off obligations; this suggests the real opportunity lies in helping others as they prepare for their own transitions. These blessings, rooted in the experience passed down over generations, give us a tool for helping others in these moments; they remind us that someone in the world will never forget today. Whether it be in showing someone how to follow the calling of their gift or lending an ear to those who cannot hear the soft, shy knocking of opportunity, the power of these blessings is the way they bring lifetimes of wisdom to the days, hours, or minutes we may experience just once. As O'Donohue notes, life experience is the clearest sign of grace; the mortal find a path to the divine simply by remaining true to the echo of experience, and amplifying this call for others.
I think the best idea I noted from this book is that wounds will always heal from the edges, as if health invades the injured area. The modern cult of progress and its habit for using the fringes to hide anything without immediate production value seems to have no room for this wisdom; no wonder the age is afflicted with a deep-seated anxiety, which seems to inch closer to becoming a permanent feature of the human genome with each passing day. When we disconnect from the edges, we become fearful of the horizons, the outer limits, and thresholds that inevitably confront us on the life journey. These are the places that, once crossed, forever separate past and future; they are the borders over which we can never retrace our steps. If we fear the edges, we become afraid of change, growth, and the truthful rhythm of emergence; we remain forever stuck in the center of the wounds that will never heal.
TOA Rating: three doorjambs out of four.
As a wrap up, here are a few selections from a list of questions that O'Donohue included among a larger list of things to ask yourself at the end of each day:
-Where was I hurt without anyone noticing?
-What did I learn today?
-What new thoughts visited me?
-What differences did I notice in those closest to me?
-With whom did I feel the most myself?
-What reached me today, and how deep did it imprint?
-What did I avoid today?
-Why was I given this day?
Those who need more have my blessing to look into my book notes.
