http://www.sarahrhoads.com/blog/2010/09/the-sacred-moments.html
the sacred moments
Personal| Travel
Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 09:07 AM
I am taken with Greece... not for it's awe inspiring beauty or it's breathtaking sunsets, or the way the light bounces and dances through the white buildings; but rather for the way this place has awakened something in me. There are moments in life when I feel like we are keenly aware of something growing in us, I'm grateful for those rare moments of grace when God gives us his eyes and shows us that there is something stirring within. Most times growth feels just like that potted cactus that sits on my shelf that I water once a week. I seriously doubt it's getting any bigger, sometimes I wonder if watering it is more for me than the plant. But I suppose that is kind of how most growth is.... slow and steady like an old man with lines that have taken a lifetime to carve their way into his face.
But then there are moments where you feel growth jolt you forward, like you are getting closer to the person you were meant to become. It's those beautiful nuggets of truth that stick to our hearts like un-floured dough. Those moments when we discover something about the person we have wanted to be all along.
As I meander through the colorful corners of the cobblestone streets in Greece and bend down to pet the alley cats that find their way through my ankles, I am given the beautiful ease of understanding that life is not about doing....much to my goal-oriented disappointment :) Those people who already understand this have all kinds of time to get a lot less done and enjoy those rich and imperfect sacred moments that life gives us. As I sip my espresso and look around me I am aware of so many small simplicities that make life radically sacred. Life is to be explored, rested in, danced in, enjoyed & taken in. Life is not a list. It is not a set of obligations or goals, and I must remember to leave more room in my life for the holy (and un-holy) moments to unfold. I must make more time to watch, embrace, smile, love and be thankful.
Greece has given me this beautiful gift of understanding.. It has also given me the gift of Nutella crepes which have made me all gooey around the middle. I have had one every morning since I arrived. I probably should be thinking about the way it is making my handles more "lovely" but this friends, is one of those moments when I smile, taste and take it all in :)
