To Bless the Space Between Us

by John O’Donohue

I recently visited a friend with a grieving heart. Speaking with her is always a great honor, for she’s wise and witty, creative and deep and dwells bravely in those places most quickly pass through. Grief is a strange bird, it’s moving to be invited in, witness someone’s authentic grappling with it.

At the end of our time together, she pulled out a book by John O’Donohue to read aloud the blessing, “For Grief”. As soon as I got home, I ordered a copy for myself.

In this wholly original work of poetry and spirituality, O’Donohue, a Celtic poet and philosopher, explains blessings as a practice: ‘to offer blessings as a way of life, at the thresholds of beginnings and endings, as a form of grace and prayer.’ “To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings” does exactly that, for it connects us to the places where we meet.

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With tragedy and heartbreak ever present around the edges of every day, O’Donohue offers us a tool to return to our deep, divine love. Gives us words that bless the space between us.

There is a tremendous wealth of universal comfort within these covers, whether it’s blessings for death or baptism. It can be read any day at any time and is truly a blessing to us living through these fragile times.


The Farewell Library is where Jade blends her love of literature with her passion for death literacy and grief awareness.  Jade offers a monthly Death & Grief-focused virtual book club, book reviews of the latest Death and Grief centered books and tips and tricks for aspiring death workers and others standing at the sacred thresholds of death and grief.