Til mine nye nieser, til mine vener, til mine kjærleikar

Eg er ikkje ein religiøs person. Eg vart oppdratt i ein kristen familie, men eg fann min eigen veg. Litteratur er min religion, og film, musikk, fjernsynsseriar... Kanskje mest av alt er kjærleik min religion, kjærleik og lidenskap i kunst og blant menneske.

I løpet av to veker no har eg fått to nye nieser, ei som er dotter til min nest-eldste storebror og forloveden hans og ei som er dotter til besteveninna mi Oda og hennar forlovede. Så trass i denne mangelen på religiøsitet vil eg tilby dykk ei bøn, lånt av den fantastiske Gabriel Byrne. Uavhengig av religion er det vakkert skrive og ho er full av kjærleik, og eg tilbyr ho både til desse to nydelege jentene som er nye her i verda og til alle dykk der ute som eg elskar, same om eg har møtt dykk eller ei:

A Prayer for My Daughter

You are born in love and pain, given to us for a short time only, before we must let you go again with love and pain. One day you'll come to know how close they are one to the other - You are a treasure, a blessing, a prayer's answer, a jig in my Irish soul. You are me. And I am you. You are both of us, the love of your mother and me.

Let me be worthy of you. Let me lead you to truth, to beauty, to the mystery of the universe. Be a comfort for you, be your rock, your refuge, your eejit, your scratching post, your kick the cat, your guide and teacher. Your truest friend.

Let me be open to your child's wisdom teaching me with your soul's innocence the true nature of things. Don't let me take you for granted. Let me always be myself and allow you always to be yourself without judgement - give you the key to my secret heart and not be afraid to show you who I really am, nor of who you really are. Give me the strength to be gone from you when I must go, and to be near you when you most need me.

Let me take your hand and help you to find your true path. There will be sorrow, for that is the way of the world; but out of suffering, joy can come too - the peacock swallows a poisoned thorn to grow the miracle of a feather.

You will ask me great questions, and sometimes I will not know the answer. Perhaps we are not meant to know some things, for that is life too. A seeking. It may be our only purpose here.

All things are changing always. Yesterday is dust. Tomorrow a dream. Our gift is now. And so, my sweet angel, may you know love and be loved in return. May you know truth and laughter and peace and happiness, and may the great spirit of the universe enfold you in his arms and keep you safe for always.