I vividly remember the first time I held my two biological sons, both of whom are now well into adulthood. I was filled with a profound sense of awe and wonder. I knew I was experiencing something much larger than myself, much larger than all of my mental constructs. I was beholding the miracle of life. Though it was unexplainable, those moments were more real than anything else I had ever experienced. There were no words, just amazement and a sense of profound reverence. I felt part and parcel of something much greater than myself. Inwardly, my heart and soul bowed to that greatness. This experience of wonder and awe has come to me in a variety of ways over the subsequent years: a starry night, the ocean’s roar, my wife’s compassion, an exact answer to a specific prayer, an experience of profound beauty, and so forth. Though these experiences of wonder and awe lose their intensity as time passes, they change me forever. My heart remains less defended and more open to healing and living with a deeper sense of meaning. I think the world’s great saints and mystics live perpetually in the realm of awe and wonder. God is awe and wonder!
Amazement, awe, reverence —
May I remain awake
And aware of these moments
And welcome the ways
They change me.
