Bríd Libh!

 

I love how Órlagh Costello signs off her newsletters:

"Bríd libh

 Órlagh"

It means, simply, "Brigit be with you."

I breathe those words in and they mean so much more to me than the simple five syllables on the page – or two syllables, if we’re sticking with the Irish.

They are a blessing. May she be with you in every moment, in every thing. May you never be without her, without her there to still the angry waves that threaten to drown you, without her helping to guide you to the shore. This blessing illumines the world as I look out at it. It awakens all the good and beautiful, around and in me.

They are a reminder. May you remember that she is with you, that you are not unaccompanied, not left on your own, that she can work through you as much as she can work in you. In this way, the words are a powerful antidote to my sense of isolation, my sense of not being enough.

For so long I have written, "Brigit’s blessings on you." And this is a mighty statement, too. But I think I like Órlagh’s version more. I hope I remember to write it at the end of an email one day. I hope I remember to say it to you.

"Bríd libh, mo chairde."

Brigit be with you, my friends.

Image: By AR in Düsseldorf. Found on Unsplash.

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