Gratitude and St. Patrick's Day

Thank you God for St. Patrick and all the saints of all religion.  Thank you Lord for all the signs and all the symbols of your love.  Thank you for bringing us out of the Irish days of bestiality and yearly warfare with our celtic brethren, the days of superstitions and sexual abuse of children.   Thank you Lord for the histories which tell both the good and bad of our people and the willingness of our people to speak of the unspeakable.  Thank you Lord for the transparency of the history of Celts,  our great loves and passions, our great loyalties and powerful beliefs.  Thank you for our chosen relationship with the fey world, our nearness to you and awareness of the sacrilege.  May other nations be so honest about their origins as we all began in history in times far different than today with leaders far different and strength far differently defined.  Help us to move closer to the light and push back the darkness. Help us to go forward and not back to the ‘horror, the horror’ of Conrad.  Help us to see the lies and be aware of the false truths. Help us all to wear the Breastplate of St. Francis.  Thank you for all the education in that great book, “How the Irish Saved Civilization”.  Thank you for the adaptations that have brought the celts around the world to celebrate this day.  Thank you for the unity and end of war. Help each of us gain clear vision within, so that the battles outside will end as the battles within do.  Help heaven to reign here and now in all our inner visions so that we may live in faith as St. Patrick did trusting love over fear.  Thank you God of Gods and Love of All for this briefest of lifetimes, this sojourn into the self importance of a few score years in eternity.  Help me always to know you and see you in all.  Help me to be closer to you in all my endeavours. Be with me Lord and always remind me that it is always you in every face and every circumstance.  Relieve me of the veils of maya and illusions.  Help me know truth and see as you see.  Thank you Lord for all that is your creation, all that I reduce in dualism but is great in whole. Thank you Love for all the wonder and wild.  Thank you love for family and friends and pets and places of worship. Thank you always and ever.  But today mostly thank you for St. Patrick and St. Patrick’s Breastplate and the Celtic blood of yore that courses through my veins. Thank you for being touched.