Miracles

miracle [mir-uh-kuhl]

-noun

1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

2. such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

3. a wonder; marvel.

4. a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality: a miracle of modern acoustics.

I believe in them. In my thirty-plus years of living, I've seen and heard a good number of miracles. I will lean heavily on definition #3 for this particular post. I find miracles in the simplest of things: rain, a perfect snow-flake, fingerprints, that final shot to win with .03 left in the game..and it goes in! Air - I never have to THINK about air. I just have to breathe, and what I need to keep functioning is right there, in the air, and I'm good to go - over and over again - mindless. A beautifully sculpted spider-web. A beautiful sculpture. The flight of the monarch butterfly is amazing. I could go on and on. Miracles are all around us.

I want to share with you two miracles - depictions of what I believe a miracle to be. From time to time I may return to my blog, and share more miracles. But for now I would like to start with these.

Babies

I know what you're thinking - "duh!". I also know emily thinks I have baby fever. But hey, it's my blog so I am going to expand a little on this one :) I think it's THROUGH a baby that we become more aware of the miracles around us. Seeing the world through a baby's eyes is renewing. Wonderment. Babies be. Adults do - And get so busy doing, doing, doing. It would be great to be more accepting of exactly the moment, as it is, like babies do. They fall? They get up. And move on. Know worries. Literally. Whatever is laid in front of a baby, they deal with. Like Deepak Chopra says on the commercial: "I am a human being. Not doing, not thinking - being". I love that and there's a lot to it. There is peace. And from that, hope. And I think babies exemplify it perfectly. We need to follow their lead. I know - they cry, they scream, they make a mess. And that's not necessarily a miracle. That's just life mixing it up with a miracle. I know it's an obvious example, but a baby and a young child will never cease to amaze me. And every-once-in-awhile I love to express it.

Elderly

Opposite end of the spectrum. Circle of life. I was in the car at lunch today and driving back to the office. I was on a side road, a busy one, that I travel frequently. Standing at the end of a driveway was an elderly woman, dressed very neatly, standing erect, looking like she was waiting for a friend to pick her up. She looked so cute. I thought "wouldn't it be great if I could turn the car around, stop, get out, and ask her about her life? where she's been? what she's learned? what she knows? and hey - where she's going?". Denise posted awhile ago about her grandmother. I loved that post. The elderly are miraculous to me because of ALL they have experienced. ALL they have lived. And they putt along every day, battling the wear & tear of a long-life. Something tells me it ain't easy having an older body. But their wisdom, their perspective, their outlook far outweigh the limits of the body. Again, another example from which we can learn. Their frame of mind, developed over years, is a miracle. I know I over-generalize and that many struggle. But what all of them have lived through, and seen, in 70, 80, 90-plus years can be a wonderment to listen to. Their strength and courage never cease to amaze me.