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I've always liked this Apache blessing:

May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rains wash away your worries

And the breeze blow new strength into your being.

And all of the days of your life may you walk

Gently through the world and know its beauty.

Edited by Dianna
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I totally like the subject matter of this thread... There SHOULD be lots of "secular" benedictions. There is nothing in the nature of a blessing that necessitates a creed of any sort... it just takes a change of perspective to get used to this concept that runs counter to our cultural expectations.

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There was a song I used to love that was sung a lot at the Catholic chapel at my old school, but it has secular lyrics:

Peace within us

Peace over us

Peace under our feet

Peace behind us

Peace before us

Let all around us be Peace.

I wish I had the music or a way to share the tune. It was really neat when sung as a round. We used to have enough people who knew it and sang well that we would sing it as a six part round. With the echoes and acoustics in the room (marble front and back walls, high smooth ceiling), if you knew which way to face and could project your voice well, one singer could easily sound like three or four. Get a group who knew the trick and suddenly a small choir sounded like a production company. Ahh... the memories. As deaf as I have become, I can still hear them in my memory).

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i have 2,one from my friend pete in the uk:

"may that which stregthens you,sustain you.

may that which lights your way,ever guide you.

may that which brings you happiness,be always with you.

and may love and peace never be a stranger to you."

the other one was sent to me by a retired notre dame professor(also a friend of mine):

"my wish for you"

"where there is pain,i wish you peace and mercy.where there is self doubting,i wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.where there is tiredness or exhaustion,i wish you understanding,patience,and renewed strength.where there is fear,i wish you love,and courage."(author unknown to me)

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I wish I could find the article or a link to it, but there was a piece in Reader's Digest years ago titled "I wish you enough". The gist of the piece is that it is something that the writer's parents used to say to her that she learned the value of those words and her final words to her father were those.

Essentially it is saying may you never be in need, but may you never have such excess that others may be in need. Better still, may you have so much that you can share with those who need.

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I wish I could find the article or a link to it, but there was a piece in Reader's Digest years ago titled "I wish you enough". The gist of the piece is that it is something that the writer's parents used to say to her that she learned the value of those words and her final words to her father were those.

Essentially it is saying may you never be in need, but may you never have such excess that others may be in need. Better still, may you have so much that you can share with those who need.

Was it this?

I Wish You Enough

--posted by brighteyes on May 10, 2007

At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure and standing near the door, he said to his daughter, "I love you, I wish you enough."

She said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy." They kissed good-bye and she left.

He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied.

Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?" I asked.

"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral, " he said.

"When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye."

He then began to sob and walked away.

Found here

[ Original story by Bob Perks, in Chicken Soup For the Grieving Soul ]

I also found this other version of it.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how grey the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

(Author Unknown)

That version is here.

It is a very nice blessing.

Edited by Dianna
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