A Volley from the Canon, Number 128--For a Leadeer

I came across this “charge” or pre-blessing piece at Reading Camp training, and I thought many of you might find a use for it. If so, please be sure to credit the source. I wish this blessing for all of us! Donald For a leader By John O’Donohue From To Bless the Space Between Us May you have the grace and wisdom To act kindly, learning To distinguish between what is Personal and what is not. May you be hospitable to criticism. May you never put yourself at the center of things. May you act not from arrogance but out of service. May you work on yourself, Building up and refining the ways of your mind. May those who work for you know You see and respect them. May you learn to cultivate the art of presence In order to engage with those who meet you. When someone fails or disappoints you, May the graciousness with which you engage Be their stairway to renewal and refinement. May you treasure the gifts of the mind Through reading and creative thinking So that you continue as a servant of the frontier Where the new will draw its enrichment from the old, And you never become a functionary. May you know the wisdom of deep learning, The healing of wholesome words, The encouragement of the appreciative gaze, The decorum of held dignity, The springtime edge of the bleak question. May you have a mind that loves frontiers So that you can evoke the bright fields That lie beyond the view of the regular eye. May you have good friends To mirror your blind spots. May leadership be for you A true adventure of growth. Donald K. Vinson (The Rev. Canon) Canon for Mission and Transition Diocese of West Virginia P. O. Box 5400 Charleston, WV 25361 304 541-9963