Responses to the May 3rd Day of Memorial Tribute at Miriam's Well

In May 2004, I went on a retreat with John in the West of Ireland. This was a transformative trip and I was blessed to have gone on the retreat. At the end of the retreat John signed my journal " For Dave, May you continue to grow & become one with whom you are meant to be. Have no Fear, No Fear at all.

When we arrived at Miriam's well for the memorial, I got a copy of John's new book, "To Bless the Space Between us. In the Beginning's section, John writes that "Before it occurs, a beginning can be a long time in preparation. This is why some beginnings take off with great assuredness, and one can instinctively recognize that the right direction has been chosen.

When Cathy & I left Ireland we were restless. We moved a few short months after returning home. In 2007, I got involved with a boys mentoring organization and it took off with great speed. Mentoring boys has been a Passion of mine for a long time, but I believe the time in Ireland set the stage for me to embrace this and move forward.

John's new book "To Bless the Space Between Us" has a blessing called "At the Threshold of Manhood". That so embodies what I am striving to be as a whole man and what I want to see boys grow into. I will use these blessing in the work I do with Boys To Men since a big part of what we do is Bless the boys and they in turn Bless the men.

John's legacy will definitely live on.

Dave Bolduc

I would like to offer a reflection on what a powerful social commentator John was – how powerfully he saw the limits of our materialistic, techno-driven culture. John had this wonderful combination – of being someone who represented the solid wisdom of an earthy farming culture that is being lost – plus the spiritual sensitivity of a true healer and priest (or druid) – and the visionary passion for ideas and film and humor and life. John lived a whole multi-dimensional richness within one person – and I'd love to see ways that this beautiful multi-dimensionality could be brought to bear on our work with youth, to inspire them to love life so completely and to see their place in creating such a rich future for themselves.

What I would have read of John's is "It is strange to be here. The mystery never leaves you alone....... No one else can bring you news of this inner world. Through the opening of the mouth, we bring out sounds from the mountain beneath the soul......... No one else can undertake this task for you. You are the one and only threshold of an inner world....Each of us is doomed and privileged to be an inner artist who carries and shapes a unique world."

Nancy Walsh

I can't thank you enough for putting Saturday together, for giving John's American family a place to gather to both celebrate his life and mourn his death, and to do so in communion with others who share the depth of feelings for this incredible man and his life's work. Saturday was a very healing experience for me. I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

Susan and Richard, the generous and gracious spirit with which you opened your home and heart to the guests who came to Miriam's Well on Saturday set the stage for everything that followed. And what followed was authentic, and touching, joyful and sad, beautiful and real. In other words, our time together represented the very essence that was the John O'Donohue that I knew (ever so briefly), and as we walked the ground I could feel his smile upon us.

Jennifer Cory

Dear Susan and Richard,

it was a lovely memorial. I wanted to thank everyone for being this profound love they had for John alive. It really drove home that I never got my act together to meet John. I had always meant to. Like I meant to read Anam Cara. And I always meant to take a course at the Well with John. Note to self, just do it now. But now is too late and that is my loss and my lesson. Time is sacred and fleeting. My heart goes out to all who loved him and to those his work touched.

With gratitude,

Laura Marini

More Memories of John O'Donohue

Thoughts of the Miriam's Well Community at the Time of John's Death

Reflections by David Whyte

Memorial Services, Irish Times Obituary, & In Memoriam Links