The Twelve Blessings of Pat Donahue

From the Rev. Wayne Meisel 

Blessings to Pat, may all of us here and all of those who wanted to be here, all of us who you taught and advocated for and whom you befriended.  May our presence here today and always serve as a source of comfort and love for you. 

Blessings to Donna, may the joy and the commitment and the love that Pat had for you continue to inspire your teaching , help guide your parenting, and bring water to your garden.

Blessings to Patrick, may you feel your dad's pride and confidence in who you are and the future you are building.

Blessings to Kate, may your smile and delight and tenacity and hard work deliver you opportunities and possibilities to share your many gifts to the world.

Blessings to  Pete, Pat's wombmate, and to his other siblings, who shared and played and fought with Pat more hours than any of us.  Thank you for turning him into the competitor that he was, the fearice advocate who would stand up against injustice and speak out for those who were shut out

Blessings to Pat's parents whose love and home provided the ingredients and the foundation to launch a man who has changed us like no other,

Blessings to Pat's students past and current, you are the gallery of his life's work, the evidence of his gifts of inquiry, discovery and joy

Blessings to Pat's colleagues, the people he worked with but more than that, the people he loved, you are the ones that Pat sought out, that sparked his invention and built the things that only Pat could imagine

Blessings to the Mill Hill Neighborhood, the community that brought Pat and Donna back to Trenton, may the introductions that Pat helped facilitate turn into a lifetime of friendships and a street filled with flower boxes and conversations  

Blessing to the city of Trenton, the place Pat called home, where others saw barren land, Pat saw Gardens, where others saw fear, pat saw possibility, where others saw nothing, Pat saw hope

Blessings to all who Pat worked for and with, for the single parent, the challenged learners, the troubled youth, the lonely elder, the vulnerable family the stressed out father, the hourly worker: Pat walked this earth committed to you and fought so that you might be seen and treated with the dignity and respect that you deserve