“What is important is the moment of opening a life and feeling it touch--with an electric hiss and cry--this speckled mineral sphere, our present world.”
― Annie Dillard, An American Childhood
the opening of a life.
i love this image. it's like a treasure chest- full of secrets and mystery. or a fruit, full of sweetness and potential. i'm thinking about this in the big sense. i'm thinking about the moments when life opens up to us. when we feel a connection we haven't before with this great spinning speckled sphere. i'm thinking about these moments that stay with us- that become etched in us- part of us.
one of the blessings of having children is watching the opening of their lives. the revealing of their pulp- the sweetness that lies in the center. the unveiling of personhood. and watching them become aware of themselves- feeling the earth beneath them- seeing the perspective change the first time they climb a tree. learning to trust their bodies to be strong for them. understanding that sounds blend together into words- words that hold meaning- meaning that can change with context and expression and voice. finding their voice-that it's different from my voice. childhood is full of openings.
having a child with special needs is a strange combination of feeling this process in slow motion but also in florescent vivid color. the opening may be only a small crack. sometimes it feels like it must be pried. sometimes you wonder if this life opens at all. but when it does....when you see that child in touch with her present world...it's brilliant like nothing else. and when you peek in you may see that the innards are so delicate and tiny, that time is needed before this life is ripe for a deeper opening. but the richness is just as deep. so you hold them and warm them and wait.
one of the blessings of being a doctor is hearing the opening of other peoples lives. strangers lives. when you listen, you hear that everyone, every single person has fruit and gold, and mystery and potential. being a doctor provides a situation for engagement- it provides the opportunity to have a conversation- to be open to the life this other person has lived, is living, will live. it sometimes demands acknowledging the potential for behavior change, medical adherence or growth- because sometimes you might be the only one who is listening.
but i think this is one of the general blessings of being a human. the daily opportunity to impact each others lives. we all have value, individual value and worth. how we treat each other, how we respond to each other, either encourages or discourages the opening and touching of life. we hinder or enhance. we feed it or starve it. what we do matters. who we are matters. because we all have a life waiting to open.
so where do our feet take us?
― Annie Dillard, An American Childhood
the opening of a life.
i love this image. it's like a treasure chest- full of secrets and mystery. or a fruit, full of sweetness and potential. i'm thinking about this in the big sense. i'm thinking about the moments when life opens up to us. when we feel a connection we haven't before with this great spinning speckled sphere. i'm thinking about these moments that stay with us- that become etched in us- part of us.
one of the blessings of having children is watching the opening of their lives. the revealing of their pulp- the sweetness that lies in the center. the unveiling of personhood. and watching them become aware of themselves- feeling the earth beneath them- seeing the perspective change the first time they climb a tree. learning to trust their bodies to be strong for them. understanding that sounds blend together into words- words that hold meaning- meaning that can change with context and expression and voice. finding their voice-that it's different from my voice. childhood is full of openings.
having a child with special needs is a strange combination of feeling this process in slow motion but also in florescent vivid color. the opening may be only a small crack. sometimes it feels like it must be pried. sometimes you wonder if this life opens at all. but when it does....when you see that child in touch with her present world...it's brilliant like nothing else. and when you peek in you may see that the innards are so delicate and tiny, that time is needed before this life is ripe for a deeper opening. but the richness is just as deep. so you hold them and warm them and wait.
one of the blessings of being a doctor is hearing the opening of other peoples lives. strangers lives. when you listen, you hear that everyone, every single person has fruit and gold, and mystery and potential. being a doctor provides a situation for engagement- it provides the opportunity to have a conversation- to be open to the life this other person has lived, is living, will live. it sometimes demands acknowledging the potential for behavior change, medical adherence or growth- because sometimes you might be the only one who is listening.
but i think this is one of the general blessings of being a human. the daily opportunity to impact each others lives. we all have value, individual value and worth. how we treat each other, how we respond to each other, either encourages or discourages the opening and touching of life. we hinder or enhance. we feed it or starve it. what we do matters. who we are matters. because we all have a life waiting to open.
so where do our feet take us?
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