This is the last book from Irish poet and spiritual teacher John O'Donohue, one of the most lyrical writers of our times, who died suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2008. To read his writings and to listen to his audiotapes is to be in the presence of a truly enthusiastic person. The opening paragraph of this volume shows us why:

"There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility, and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is welded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. We enter the world as strangers who all at once become heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit, and dream that has long preceded us and will now enfold, nourish, and sustain us. The gift of the world is our first blessing."
A blessing breaks down the barriers between people and is the ultimate form of intimacy. It changes the environment around us and opens new possibilities of connection, healing, and transformation. O'Donohue laments that in the West we have "no rituals to protect, encourage, and guide us as we cross over into the unknown." The blessings he has written are divided into seven sections representing the major rhythms of the human journey:

• Beginnings (including blessings for Matins, the New Year, and A New Position)
• Desires (including blessings for Eros, Longing, the Senses, Belonging and Absence)
• Thresholds (including blessings for Your Birthday, a New Father, a Friend on the Arrival of an Illness, a Parent on the Death of a Child)
• Homecomings (including blessings for Grace Before Meals, on Waking, on Meeting a Stranger, on Passing a Graveyard, and Before Sleep)
• States of Heart (including blessings for Courage, Failure, Grief, Beauty, Equilibrium, and Loneliness)
• Callings (including blessings for Marriage, the Unknown Self, Work, and Citizenship)
• Beyond Endings (including blessings for Broken Trust, Someone Who Did You Wrong, Lost Friends, and the Dying)