All of us have longings.

Hi, everyone. I’m Sherry Douglas with Heart-Song. All of us have longings. We long to love and be loved. We long to be wanted and connected.

It seems, though, that we often seek information instead of longing. We’re consistently watching reels and videos of people we know and don’t know, searching on the web, or streaming a variety of shows. Some have informational news running non-stop.

John O'Donohue was an Irish poet, author, and priest. He wondered if “at the root of the information we're gathering could be a longing we haven't yet named.” In his book, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings he wrote, “For Longing.”

"Blessed be the longing that brought you here and quickens your soul with wonder. May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire that disturbs you when you have settled for something safe. May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease to discover the new direction your longing wants you to take. May the forms of your belonging-in love, creativity, and friendship-be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul. May the one you long for long for you. May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire. May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling. May your mind inhabit life with the sureness with which your body inhabits the world. May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage. May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency. May you know the urgency with which God longs for you."

This next week, let's begin to name our longings. Live the way you want to be remembered!