Moments
of Rapture
“But
those instants of capture by rapture aren’t wrong or rude or selfish, they’re
medicine from the great mystery of life and from that part of the human spirit
that refuses to capitulate to what is life-destroying. They are outrageous gifts
of grace in hard times, and we are fools not to accept them.”
Trebbe
Johnson (“Light Gifts in Dark Times,” Parabola, Winter 2022-2023, p.69)
My
friend, Sharon is visiting friends in Cimarron, New Mexico. She’s been sending photos
and videos of the beautiful landscapes in that part of the world—where the
great plains meet the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Breathtakingly beautiful.
Yesterday, when it was almost 80 in Birmingham, it snowed there, and she sent
photos of herself and her friend in down jackets, blankets, and cowgirl hats,
brims filled with snowflakes, sitting beside a firepit. Sharon shows me over
and over that life is to be enjoyed, explored and celebrated.
In some
parts of the world today, the autumn leaves are at their peak color. If you are
stuck inside, at least go to the window and spend two minutes taking in the
intense colors of fall. No matter what you are enduring, no matter how deep
your fear, grief, anger, hurt or exhaustion may be, opening your eyes to what
is beautiful around you is like inhaling the aroma of fresh herbs—it lifts your
spirits and gives you a moment’s relief.
My
mother was one who thought that it inappropriate to be happy, or delighted if
anyone around her, or even anyone she knew, was suffering in some way. Some
days she had to scan the newspapers for tragic accidents or watch those
terrible day-time shows about sadness and loss, to summon up despair. Once she
said to me, “Alice is a really nice person—she’s had a terrible life,” as
though one is prerequisite for the other. I loved my mother, don’t get me
wrong, but she had a very hard time claiming joy even when it was dropped in
her lap. I’ll bet you know someone like that, for whom joy feels sinful.
Every time
you open your eyes and see a beautiful sight—whether sunrise, or ocean waves,
or the gorgeous colors of autumn—allow yourself time to take it in. That beauty
is the gift of delight that grace affords us in good times and in bad. Take joy
in it. And, just say thank you.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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