For Steve

Wishing you all your own anam cara.

From John O'Donohue's book "Anam Cara"

"In the Celtic tradition there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of "soul love" - the old Gaelic term for this is "anam cara". "Anam" is the Gaelic word for "soul" and "cara" is the word for "friend". In the early Celtic church a person who acted as a teacher, companion or spiritual guide was called an "anam cara". It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your innermost self, your mind, and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. In everyone's life there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. Where you are understood, you are at home."