Glory in simplicity

This time last year we were preparing to celebrate Christmas with our Argentinean exchangee, his wife and two daughters who had come to spend a couple of weeks with us.

None of us could have foreseen that just three months later our borders would be closed  nor that on Christmas Eve this year we’d be wondering when, or even if, it might be safe for them to come back or for us to visit them.

But at least here we’re free to celebrate Christmas and our celebration will start tonight with a carol service.

However and with whoever you’re celebrating, or not, here’s a little  Facebook find to contemplate:

At Christmas, time deepens. The Celtic imagination knew that time is eternity in disguise. They embraced the day as a sacred space. Christmas reminds us to glory in the simplicity and wonder of one day; it unveils the extraordinary that our hurried lives conceal and neglect.

We have been given such immense possibilities. We desperately need to make clearances in our entangled lives to let our souls breathe. We must take care of ourselves and especially of our suffering brothers and sisters.

©JOHN O’DONOHUE

Excerpt from the unpublished collection of John O’Donohue
https://www.johnodonohue.com/

 

366 days of gratitude

At the start of yesterday’s CANZ (Celebrants Association of New Zealand) workshop we were introduced to a few lines from John O’Donohue’s A Morning Offering  .

The last two verses were both an inspiration and a challenge for the day, and for life in general. *

Even before I was a celebrant I collected poems, readings and any other writing. Since I’ve become a celebrant I’ve become even more of an appreciator and collector.

When I got home I googled John O’Donohue which has enabled me to add some more wise words to my collection and for that I’m grateful.

* (I’ve chosen not to copy them because I’m not sure about the copyright. If you click on the link you’ll be able to read them anyway and you can find more of his writing at johno’donohue.com and goodreads).