Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Solace

Well, here we are--the first day of summer, though in Georgia arguably summer's been here for a month (soooo hot). I've been appreciating those cool mornings in Massachusetts on my recent adventure there to visit with my parents. They're undoubtedly the most proud grandparents at the moment, and it was something else to watch them with my daughter, to think of the way they must have felt with me and with my siblings, watching them grow, learn new things each day, from the moment eyes open to the minute they drift off to dream land.

As much as I love and adore my little one, I enjoyed stealing away several times for a little quiet--and my favorite instance was visiting a favorite beach with my brother. It was, as he said, "like visiting an old friend." We prayed and meditated there for awhile, letting the sound of the surf, the warmth of the sand, and chill of the breeze become like prayer to our senses. Being present in that moment was soul-quenching.

I had a similar moment again at a street festival called Day of Portugal--but instead of surf and sandpipers, I saw the steeple of St. Anthony's Church, the bustle of festival goers dancing and eating, and the general joys of the evening, in the midst of this all, as a different kind of solace. Oddly, sometimes we can find it in the midst of many.

Look for a moment of solace near you, pause, and let it wash over you--then give praise and thanksgiving. I think it's nothing short of a miracle that we can find, in our busy human lives, these extraordinary moments.