Welcoming the new day

welcoming-the-new-day

Beginnings, and the courage to step forward, however tentatively, appears to be resonating with a number of people.

Yet this is far from the lament about ‘this all being over so we can get back to normal.’ And neither is it an audacious vision for a new dawn where everything is radically different.

It’s a quiet sound, a ripple, being passed from person to person, with a voice that knows the pain of loss yet chooses hope and possibility.

For me, the gentle reminder of these new beginnings was watered by the end of John O’Donohue’s Matins, from Benedictus: A Book of Blessings.

Here is the full text:

MATINS

1

Somewhere, out at the edges, the night
Is turning and the waves of darkness
Begin to brighten the shore of dawn.

The heavy dark falls back to earth
And the freed air goes wild with light,
The heart fills with fresh, bright breath
And thoughts stir to give birth to colour.

2

I arise today

In the name of Silence,
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness,
Home of Belonging,
In the name of the Solitude
Of the Soul and the Earth.

I arise today

Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.

May I live this day

Compassionate of heart,
Clear in Word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.

Begin gently, but do begin.

Sue

This week

Continuing the exploration of beginnings, flow and possibilities – in the company of friends (and the words of John O’Donohue)