Friendship

John O'Donohue offers this Friendship Blessing

May you be blessed with good friends.

May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.

May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love,

     warmth, feeling, and  forgiveness.

May this change you.

May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.

May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.

May you reassure your friends.

May you be good to them and may you be there for them;

     may they bring you the blessings, challenges, truth,

     and light that you need for your journey.

May you never be isolated.

May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam cara.

One definition given is: 

"Anam Cara refers to the Celtic belief of souls connecting and bonding. In Celtic Spiritual  tradition, it is believed that the soul radiates all about the physical body. When you connect with another person and become completely open and trusting with that individual, your two souls begin to flow together. Should such a deep bond be formed, it is said you have found your Anam Cara or soul friend.

Your Anam Cara always accepts you as you truly are, holding you in beauty and light. In order to appreciate this relationship, you must first recognize your own inner light and beauty. This is not always easy to do. The Celts believed that forming an Anam Cara friendship would help you to awaken your awareness of your own nature and experience the joys of others.

According to John O’Donohue, an accomplished Irish poet, philosopher and Catholic priest, “…You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy and definition. When you are blessed with an anam cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home.”

Notice the sentence, "May you learn to be a good friend to yourself." How is that working for you? Can you be at home with yourself? Is there peace with yourself? 

Are you able to journey "to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling and forgiveness? Have you made it your practice to go there frequently? I have found it to be a place of great healing.

Our best friends will be visiting soon. Bob and I are looking forward to our time with them. May you, too, be blessed with your anam cara. 
Here is another blessing read by John O'Donohue.