I love moments bests described by “ah hah” followed by a short yet intense pause and the then “wow”. At the extreme, it is a multi-step process; wonder and awe followed by reflection and wrapped by overwhelming admiration.
I describe each as a grand moment, all slightly different. As extremely flamboyant and public as some are, I can think of many that are private and mundane. During the former I shared the grand moment with others shouting, clapping, and at times dancing in celebration. In the latter, I think I was the only one taking notes. It is not that the latter was less grand. More frequently it was a moment that most would have taken as routine and not really memorable.
The key in each is the intent and intensity that shaped the moment. Intent always has a purity of truth, purpose, and compassionate inclusive community to it. Intensity seems to center on the resolve and passion of individual or group that is at the heart of what one is witnessing. From great moments filled with pomp and fanfare to quiet moments of silence where the resolve of one person willing to take a step is witnessed by at least one other, there is a inspiriting, hope filled, courage enabling force that consumes everyone that has a part.
I listen to the words of a familiar writer and it takes me to the moments everyone tries to imagine. “The chariots of God, twice ten thousand, and thousands more besides, The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai – straight to the Holy Place!” (Psalm 68.17) In the reflection I also see the forgotten grand moments that are often missed, friends responding to pain, tragedy, and death, an individual determined to do what is right “for a change”, and acts of patient kindness.
In each I find myself renewed and inspired. For some, I wonder. With others, I have insight. A grand moment is one where a human being responds to the call to act like Divinity. Each is an open invitation to all for more.
