Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.


FROM THE I CHING

When two people are at one
in their inmost hearts,
They shatter even the strength of iron or bronze.
And when two people understand each other
in their inmost hearts
Their words are sweet and strong,
like the fragrance of orchids.

by Kazantzakis from Zorba the Greek

I remember one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the back of a
tree just as a butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing
to come out. I waited awhile, but it was too long appearing and I was
impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as
quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes,
faster than life. The case opened the butterfly started slowly
crawling out, and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its
wings were folded back and crumpled the wretched butterfly tried
with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it, I tried
to help it with my breath, in vain.
It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings
should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My
breath had forced the butterfly to appear all crumpled, before its time.
It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of
my hand.

That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my
conscience. For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the
great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be
impatient, but we should confidently obey the external rhythm.

"I sat on a rock to absorb this New Years's thought. Ah, if only that little butterfly could always flutter before me to
show me the way."