Eyes of the Soul

On the way to work, I look in the rearview mirror and see the bright, beautifully shaped eyes my daughter inherited, the smile in them (or frown, or grimace), the shine of wisdom, glitter from the morning sun, from my little Sophia.

Then, I get on the bus to go into campus and, some mornings, will catch that same eye and smile in the gorgeous diversity of people. Eyes made to shimmer in the sunlight--blue, brown, hazel, of all shapes and origins. Eyes which have seen both beauty and war, have seen their own share. In some eyes I see this more than others--more awareness.

I wonder at the souls on that bus, where they go when they step off into their day. We share that--the day, its newness, its possibility. Each day is that way--its blessing inherent to our momentary choices, to chance encounters.

What will become of us today? Where can we become everyday saints?

I try to be as hopeful as I can be in my writing--I figure there’s enough negative out there for seconds and thirds at the pity party--but life’s reality does come in sorrow, suffering, loneliness, depression. There’s homelessness in the midst of a storm, cancer in the body of a teacher or parent, loss in the most (seemingly) unlikely or unworthy places. That is, if you think of life in terms of meritocracy.

Every day, with those chances we get, we earn different kinds of things. We make our livings, complete our projects, bring our children to and from school, pay our dues in various ways. Our bodies can fail us but our souls trudge onward, reaching for sublime inspiration.

In matters of the heart and soul, we’re growing, not earning. We’re coming to see and believe--or believe even without seeing. For me that’s a matter of deep faith in God who made me and sustains me each and every day, speaks to me through others, their words and works and lives.

I falter and doubt, am absolutely imperfect in my practice, but I cannot let go for trying, in the everyday, to see in the eyes of others, to see with the eyes of my soul, the goodness of Creation.