for a leader

 

 

 

 

May the gift of leadership awaken in you as a vocation,

Keep you mindful of the providence that calls you to serve.

 

As high over the mountains the eagle spreads its wings,

May your perspective be larger than the view from the foothills.

 

When the way is flat and dull in times of gray endurance,

May your imagination continue to evoke horizons.

 

When thirst burns in times of drought,

May you be blessed to find the wells.

 

May you have the wisdom to read time clearly

And know when the seed of change will flourish.

 

In your heart may there be a sanctuary

For the stillness where clarity is born.

 

May your work be infused with passion and creativity

And have the wisdom to balance compassion and challenge.

 

May your soul find the graciousness

To rise above the fester of small mediocrities.

May your power never become a shell

Wherein your heart would silently atrophy.

May you welcome your own vulnerability

As the ground where healing and truth join.

 

May integrity of soul be your first ideal.

The source that will guide and bless your work.

 

 

 

~ John O'Donohue
from To Bless the Space Between Us
photo by Reuters

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