Friendship and wisdom are two of the saving virtues of the Third Age. Friendship is a special kind of love that endures the winter of loss, fills the spaces of our heart and makes so many moments special. And wisdom allows us to carry the nourishing cup of understanding to the thirsty mouths of the world as well as our selves. Today’s show is about both: friendship and wisdom. The friendship is between Mike Farrell, famous for his role in Mash, and his friend, author John O’Donohue, who unexpectedly passed away recently. The wisdom is in a book by John called To Bless the Space Between Us.

Mike Farrell is best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and five seasons on Providence. He is also a writer, director, producer, and author of Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist. Mike joins us to talk about the new book, To Bless the Space Between Us, written by his dear friend, the late John O’Donohue. O’Donohuepassed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 52 – just two months before To Bless the Space Between Us was released.

What does it mean to bless others and ourselves? In this collection of O'Donohue's poetic prayers, the author of Beauty and Anam Cara focuses on bringing God's blessings into the liminal spaces in our lives: times of transition, grieving, change or preparation for the unknown. Some of the blessings are for specific situations that are bread-and-butter staples of other prayer books, such as benedictions over births, weddings, new jobs or new homes. Others are unexpected and bravely dark, including a prayer for the loved ones left behind after a suicide, or for a parent after the death of a child. O'Donohue is not afraid to tackle the fear and guilt that many harbor secretly, bringing shame and addiction out into the open even while celebrating new life and new love. His writing is sensitive and deep: As light departs to let the earth be one with night, Silence deepens in the mind, and thoughts grow slow; The basket of twilight brims over with colors, he says of evening Vespers. The book closes with the Irish priest's personal—and often profound—musings on the act of blessing, drawing on Celtic spirituality and the wisdom of poets and philosophers.