Certain holidays automatically trigger reflection. I find myself slowing down, pausing from the to-do items of the moment, and appreciating everything that has happened that led to this moment and situation. It isn’t that I ignore that painful moments of the past, rather I focus on the miracles, moments of unexpected happiness, and sheer joy of living that permeates everyone’s life to some degree. Each time I take the time to do this I wonder why I do not do it more often; there is much in my life for which I am thankful.
Specific events are great but it is the enduring relationships that come to mind most often. Hanging out with friends and sharing Thai food, creating special moments every time I get together with another one close to my heart, and discovering a new part of what it means to live in this mass we call family as human beings. There are so many special relationships that come to mind. Sitting up late, solving the conundrums of living until you can hear the call to morning prayers and see the first rays of a new day, and listening to Billie Holiday are at the heart of what it means to be a person struggling with real life. It is in these moments that one has the opportunity to be really and truly aware.
“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (Proverbs 29.18)
When I begin to look at life through another’s eyes I see parts of God that I usually miss. Sometimes it is through the eyes of a camera and photographer that captures God in a light where I was previously blind. On other occasions it is a word picture that lights up my awareness. Or it could be the unexpected phone call or email, just when I least expected and most needed.
Life is full of God in action. Sometimes it is through people; sometimes through angels working overtime. What’s next; you, me?
