Many years ago a close friend of mine died far, far too young. At the service we were given a picture of them and on the back it had some comforting words and this line:

"And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

I clung to that line through the months that followed. Sometimes I loved it and sometimes I hated it, but all through it I believed it, and it kept me sane in a very dark time.

So last night I'm zipping around the internet and I end up in a chat with someone that has the full line in their sig and it's attributed to the ex Canadian PM Pierre Thrudeau.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Who was this politician that said this thing that touched my soul? Anyway I googled him and the line and found out that he'd only quoted somebody else's poem after an election loss, and that he'd only used the line "the universe is unfolding as it should".

So I googled the poem.

The actual story of the poem is even more interesting:

"Desiderata (Latin: "desired things") is a 1927 prose poem by American writer Max Ehrmann (18721945).^[1] Largely unknown in the author's lifetime, the text became widely known after its use in a devotional, after subsequently being found at Adlai Stevenson's deathbed in 1965, and after spoken-word recordings in 1971 and 1972.

<snip>

Some time around 1959, the Reverend Frederick Kates, rector of Saint Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, included Desiderata in a compilation of devotional materials for his congregation. .

When Adlai Stevenson died in 1965, a guest in his home found the Desiderata near his bedside and discovered that Stevenson had planned to use it in his Christmas cards. The text was widely distributed in poster form. Calling it Spock Thoughts, Leonard Nimoy recited the poem on his 1967 album, Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spocks Music from Outer Space. His rendition is not the only one to change the 2nd to last sentence from Be Cheerful to Be Careful. In late 1971 and early 1972, Les Crane's spoken-word recording of Desiderata peaked at #8 on the Billboard chart, #4 on the Canadian RPM Magazine chart, and #6 on the UK Melody Maker'schart.

- From wiki.

Can't keep a good piece of universal truth down. It just needed to be heard, no matter what obsticles were in its way, so I figured I should do my part in helping it on its journey.

Frodo wrote:

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And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

 

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A lot like another line I love...

Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in Gods world by mistake.