.

.

"Grace strikes us when we walk through the dark valley
of an empty and meaningless life…
when,
year after year,
the longed for perfection does not appear,
when the old compulsions rage within us
as they have for decades,
when despair destroys all joy and courage.
Sometimes at that moment
a ray of light breaks into our darkness,
and it is as though a voice were saying,
‘ You are accepted.
You are accepted,
accepted by that which is greater than you,
and the name of which you do not know.
Do not ask for the name now;
perhaps you will find it later.
Do not do anything now;
perhaps later you will do much.
Do not seek anything, do not perform anything,
do not intend anything.
Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.’
If that happens to us, we experience grace."

Paul Tillich

John O Donohue

Saturday, January 05, 2008

I was in Bloomingdales in Chicago yesterday morning and I picked up an email on my iPhone as Joan shopped.

It was from a stranger wanting to contact my friend Martin quickly about John O Donohue.

I forwarded it to him.

I have just flown home from Chicago and received the message that our friend John O'Donohue has died.

John died yesterday morning.

John was on holiday in France with the family of Kristine, a wonderful woman he met at Greenbelt just last August.

I was there when Kristine and him met.

I snapped a series of pictures and delighted in that first contact with them.

I am shocked.

This is just a short short message as I recover from missing a nights sleep and this massive sad news.

Poet, priest and philosopher, John was a one-off, the warmest, funniest, wisest person you could hope to meet.

His most recent book, 'Benedictus', was published just before Christmas.

It is a book of blessings and this is an extract from one.

'May there be some beautiful surprise

Waiting for you inside death

Something you never knew or felt,

Which with one simple touch

Absolves you of all loneliness and loss,

As you quicken within the embrace

For which your soul was eternally made.

'May your heart be speechless

At the sight of the truth

Of all your belief had hoped,

Your heart breathless

In the light and lightness

Where each and every thing

Is at last its true self

Within that serene belonging

That dwells beside us

On the other side

Of what we see.'

I feel a cheat saying he was a friend.

I guess everyone who met him now calls him 'friend'.

We met a few times

smoked a cigar together

sipped a pint

talked until late.

I drove him around a bit at Greenbelt,

I had his umbrella in my car for two years.

We laughed and shared

although

didn't go and sit with him

when I last had the chance.

I felt I needed to be with those I was with.

If anyone can be my rep

in that eternal place

I would count on him.

My heart is with Kristine who he loved

two way love

working well

cut so so short.

We will remember him

and I will on this day forever.

Quote ::

"May you recognise in your life

the presence, power and light of your soul.

May you realise that you are never alone,

that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.

May you realise that the shape of your soul is unique,

that you have a special destiny here that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good and eternal happening.

May you learn to see your self with the same delight,

pride and expectation with which God sees you in every moment."

John O´Donohue,

writer, philosopher

in his book 'Anam Cara'

Fixed by an Angel .......................

I had just placed some beautiful 'New Years Day' music on my piPhone player above and ............

.... I do apologize for the absence of music which means so much to me - and I hope you.
It looks rather ugly at the moment eh?

It will be back asap.

I wish for you wonder.
May this year be beautiful
for you
for all you are in contact with
and may that start, and begin,
in your soul.

pipxxx

2008 Bits and Pieces::

An overweight woman at a railway station, very big, eating a big bag of McGreace chips, really big.
I am really into 'The Wire'.
Slob me. Really not used to it. No going North to visit Joyce. Life is paused and I am in Strangeville.
Now I starting to kick into my gig prep for 4/5th ...... scary prep ...... it is always ....
Dana has a great Blog about when she got lost on the way to Wilson Mansions.
Passed the 2012 Olympic site today - really visible now above all the foundational work.
I bet you don't know what day it is?
Got a great update to audio-hijack which captures my music from ANYWHERE and it feeds my favourite delight-full pleasure.
I met a man this week who has never seen U2 live. Deprived/deprivation I call it.
Nice vid online here from Fort Pastor - I met them at Greenbelt - beautiful humans.


2009 - yes we are here - Happy New Year to you::

Like we say, may it be special.
Hope and trust it is beautiful for you and yours.
May you enjoy spending time with those you love
and
those who are hard to love .........

Pip Wilson Selection Box 2008.
At the moment I have 40 tracks in my draft playlist. It needs to trim to 20.
Then I will make it available to blog readers (only) who ask and send me their snail mail.
I post it free. Donations not accepted - but you can, if you wish, give to a charity of your choice.
It will have my best loved tracks of music from the last full year.
Powerful.

I don't know what it is like to live your life.
I don't know all that you know.
I don't live with your issues.
Your hurts, your beautifulness.
I am blind.
Help me see ..................