<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Beannacht</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">("Blessing")</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">On the day when</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">the weight deadens</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">on your shoulders</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">and you stumble,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may the clay dance</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">to balance you. </font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px 'Helvetica CY'"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">And when your eyes</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">freeze behind</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">the grey window</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">and the ghost of loss</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">gets in to you,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may a flock of colours,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">indigo, red, green,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">and azure blue</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">come to awaken in you</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">a meadow of delight. </font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px 'Helvetica CY'"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">When the canvas frays</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">in the currach of thought</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">and a stain of ocean</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">blackens beneath you,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may there come across the waters</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">a path of yellow moonlight</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">to bring you safely home. </font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px 'Helvetica CY'"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">May the nourishment of the earth be yours,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may the clarity of light be yours,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may the fluency of the ocean be yours,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">may the protection of the ancestors be yours.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">And so may a slow</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">wind work these words</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">of love around you,</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">an invisible cloak</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">to mind your life.</font></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px 'Helvetica CY'"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>- John O'Donohue </font></div></body></html>