From Mary Oliver
Everyday I look for meaning. I try to make sense of my life, of the world, of the universe. I try to believe that there is something greater out there that we struggle towards, purify ourselves for or simply keep breathing just to be acknowledged.
On a Camino many walk hoping to connect with something close to the divine. John O’Donohue tells us in his book, Walking in Wonder, that God is our thoughts. We as thinking beings are the divine. That would be amazing except that many who are in power are a lot less godlike than I would have expected. Maybe they don’t think.
O’Donohue also tells us that God is in the “Absence.” Look for him in the pauses, in the silences and in the vacuums.
Mary Oliver finds him in the present, in sunrise, in bird flight and in elation.
I look for the divine in despair. When I need strength to make sense of it all, I empty my mind. I create an absence. I make room for a wisp of inspiration to get me through.
It’s easier to find God in mountains, oceans and skies, immense, powerful entities. However, most of the time I hope to find him in small nuances – a smile, a circle of light, a spot of colour.
If I gather all these minuscule gems together, will I have the riches of Sheba and will I be standing at the gates of a kingdom?