At The End of The Year – A Poem by John O’Donohue

Today’s poem, a beautiful one to reflect on as we draw to the close of the year, was written by Irish poet and author John O’Donohue who died in 2008. This poem is from my favorite of his books To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. Its beautiful poems and prayers provide a wonderful for contemplative reflection at all seasons of the day and year.

At The End Of The Year

As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them.

The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight;
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here.

Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectation seemed to have quenched.

The slow, brooding times
When all was awkward
And the wave in the mind
Pierced every sore with salt.

The darkened days that stopped
The confidence of the dawn.

Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

(c) John O’Donohue To Bless The Space Between