A little encouragement.

In case you're feeling kind of lost too.

Hi all,

No profound thoughts today. At least not my own. The last thing I want is to pretend that I have all the answers and that this newsletter is about me giving them to you. Nope. I’m trying to figure it out the same as you.

But if there’s anything I find that ever helps me, I want to share it with you. So here’s a few pages from a book by John O’Donohue called “To Bless The Space Between Us.” It’s a beautiful book of blessing for the many varied, specific occasions of our life— grief, marriage, retirement, illness, parting ways, new beginnings.

I first learned about John on Krista Tippet’s Podcast “On Being.” Immediately he felt like one of those magical thinkers you happen upon, and can’t believe you’ve been so lucky to do so. I’ve linked the episode here.

Anyway I bought two of his books, keep them on my shelf, and yesterday found myself looking for a prayer. What I found was exactly what I needed. A blessing for the “interim time” the in-between where–

“The old is not old enough to have died away;

The new is still too young to be born.”

What more is there to add?

What is being transfigured here is your mind,

And it is difficult and slow to become new.

If you’re feeling a little lost— like me— take heart in John’s words. Take heart knowing that a new dawn is coming, even though you can’t see it yet.

xx,

Ash