Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
I can think of thousands of things
that have opened me to a sense of awe,
but recently
there has been the daily awe of waking up in the morning,
and being still alive.
I remember when ‘awe’ or ‘awesome’
meant something,
and then it became a popular term for almost anything . . .
“Oh, that sandwich was awesome.”
“It’s awesome that you can come to see me tomorrow.”
To me
it seemed that awesomeness had been cheapened somehow.
Awesome
used to come to mind when seeing the ocean
or the Grand Canyon for the first time.
Frankly,
I think I’ve been a bit of an elitist about the whole thing,
so I’m giving it a second think.
I can apply it to a sandwich
and to a visit from a friend
because they too
are awesome after all.
If I sit and think about it
all food is awesome . . .
it nourishes my body and gives me energy.
That is awesome indeed.
And it is awesome
that someone wants to see me badly enough
to take the time and trouble to come to my house.
Everything that I feel, see, hear, taste and touch
is awesome,
and if I keep my eyes wide open
my mouth will hang agape,
and I will be filled with wonder at everything.
Then they will put me in a mental institution. 🙂
Your mention of awesome being cheapened reminds me of when I worked at Whole Foods. Everything there was “amazing” – the displays were amazing, the day was amazing, lunch was amazing, the new coffee drink at the coffee bar was amazing, the team was amazing, you were amazing, I was amazing (well, I may have been!) … but it got to a point where I was so tired of hearing how “amazing” everything was… it was so overused and, yes, cheapened in a sense. A few years later, I can appreciate amazing again, thankfully 🙂
No institutions for you, dear Sparrow. 😊
I agree with you that so many things that are thought of as small
like eating nourishing food, a visit from a friend,
and something that can be experienced through the senses
Is awesome.
If I was in constant awareness of this I would be amazed all the time.
Some more awareness and amazement would do me some good. 😸♥️
Thank you, dear Sparrow for the chuckle. Just two days ago while speaking with our grandson Emerick, I gave him added new nickname because he was singing and dancing on a video our daughter sent. Busta Rhymes. His response, Papa you an odd man!
Hmmm, well, yesterday we had one of those weather days with a bit of everything. Big black clouds, sunshine, and at one point it rained so hard for a few minutes and I just sat and watched the big drops hitting the soaking wet pavement in a mesmerizing display. And a few minutes later the cloud moved on and the sun came out, and within 30min, the pavement was dry again as if nothing had just happened. Im glad I got to experience that.
I watched the lunar eclipse two nights ago, starting when the moon was roughly half-eaten from the bottom. Such a different image than the slice at the side for normal waxing and waning. I’d rest my eyes now and then but watched for roughly 45 minutes. It was down to the very last fingernail paring and I was going to get to watch it wink out–and then the cloud cover I knew to expect because I’m in rainy western Washington drifted past, heavy enough to obscure it. So I missed the actual full eclipse moment and seeing the eclipsed moon but it was still pretty amazing in real time. “That’s the shadow of our whole entire planet!”
I saw part of it, and am so excited that I did.
I wake up every few hours, so I hoped I would see it.
I’m in Florida, so I think it was between 3;30 and 4;30 AM.
I got up about 3;45, watched for a bit, and was thrilled.
Then I went back to bed smiling.
I just returned from having breakfast with two friends. Both women have had very challenging lives. One is still working at the age of 72. Both women live on a limited income but both are so generous with time and funds. I often feel a sens of awe when I am around them. They both embrace life so fully.
Last night I was listening to a Nonviolence Radio episode about a new movie (“There is Another Way”) about the group Combatants for Peace. I was awe-struck to learn about former fighters from the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the conflict who have come together to work for peace, and make the decision day after day (some of them for almost 20 years!) to choose to work for peace even in the midst of the violence that surrounds them, and even after October 7 and its aftermath. And in the radio interview, one of the long-standing members of Combatants for Peace described how they have not only been working in Israel-Palestine, but have travelled around the world. I was awe-struck by this quote of his,
“We’ve been to conflict zones around the world, to learn and to teach them. For example, we were a few times in North Ireland, in South Africa, in the Balkans, in ex-Yugoslavia, and so on. And I have so many insights from these places. For example, the fact that they all – in all these places, they always said the same thing. That until the very last moment, people say, like we say here, Israelis in Palestine, “There is no way to solve it…. We have no partner,” and so on. They all said it. That it was this way of thinking, or this mode, was until the very last moments. Then something happens, then some kind of tectonic moves, and all of a sudden, it becomes doable.”
That is so interesting , Elizabeth, and so moving.
Thank you for sharing this.
I think you mentioned Nonviolence Radio before.
Is it a podcast? Or if not, how can I find it?
Hi Mary– Yes, I think that you can find it on any podcast apps. I usually listen to it through the webpage: https://www.mettacenter.org/nonviolenceradio . Most of the episodes are really good, but there are occasional “duds”. The last several episodes have been super inspirational!
I am so grateful, Yram, that angels here on earth have been so helpful to you and your husband
during these difficult times that you and your husband have been going through.
I send my love to both of you and will light a candle for you in the light a candle section of this website.
You can find it under, Mary, For Yram and her husband.
The current drought, including more than 150 days with not a single drop of rain in Phoenix, Maricopa County gave me a feeling of desperation. Then this last week, an awesome thing: rain! clouds! thunder!
Open the windows, because I want to hear!
Bring in the porch furniture cushions!
Turn off the drip system!
Let’s watch what our cactuses do now!
Thank you for posting this,
dear John,
refreshing my memory of those rare, violent thunderstorms
and how exhilarating they were . . .
I lived in Maricopa county for a few years.
Pure bliss,
those storms . . . ♥
The big full moon was shining bright into our bedroom window last night. I am always infatuated by the full moon. Every time is like the first time seeing it. I can feel the energy, and I love it. I wish I could have seen the eclipse, but maybe another time.
Happy Saturday 🙂
I’m sorry too,
dear Sunnypatti,,
that I missed the blood moon and the eclipse . . .
maybe next time.
But I,
like you,
love feasting on the moon
when it shines in my bedroom window.
Thank you. ♥
Sept. 7 this year for people in other parts of the world (parts of Asia, Western Australia, and some areas of Europe and Africa, but not from the Americas.)
March 3-4, 2026 it will be visible in the US.
For you, SunnyPatti: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/north-carolina
I remember writing this not too long ago… being able to see a rocket launch from my house and I live on the West Coast of Fl, not the East.
Enjoy the weekend everyone – I am having my annual traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day dinner – making corned beef and cabbage, green beans, potatoes, also Shepherds Pie, and Irish Soda Bread, made Irish potatoes last night with my son’s gf.
I was jogging around a small, shallow urban lake the other day. The lake contains a fair amount of trash and the water is brown. Canadian geese and several kinds of ducks swim in it, and when I jog around, I try to look at them and not the less savory elements of the lake. This time, I saw that a beaver had felled two slender trees on the shore. I didn’t see the beaver, but the trees indicated that it had somehow made its way through a shallow, concrete-lined creek and more than one tunnel to arrive at this lake, which is bordered by a highway on one side and a very busy street on the other. I felt a sense of awe as I imagined the beaver’s journey through the city.
Congratulations to you and your twin sister, Ngoc! And aren’t video calls an awesome thing? We have used them to be in touch with our niece who lives in a different state and is now one and a half years old.
My Ngoc, I remember scrolling through Facebook that morning. That was when I 1st saw the news. There were hundreds of positive reactions and at least 20 pages of comments.
Last night we watched the movie, “Flow” with friends. It is a beautifully animated film, no script, rather a musical score and sound effects, to guide you through the story. The characters are land animals, birds, and creatures of the sea. The creativity, the visual arts, the sound arts, were “awe”some to be a part of. Because it was created by humans, one sees our characteristics interwoven with the instincts of the characters. We don’t always fare well, however, it does offer an opportunity to consider what works in group dynamics. Spoiler alert; for our many feline lovers who come here, you will appreciate the main character.🩷
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My son took his God daughter to her school dance last night. She is going on 5 , Adorable her huge smile! Just an awe moment for sure!
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
John Milton
I can think of thousands of things
that have opened me to a sense of awe,
but recently
there has been the daily awe of waking up in the morning,
and being still alive.
I remember when ‘awe’ or ‘awesome’
meant something,
and then it became a popular term for almost anything . . .
“Oh, that sandwich was awesome.”
“It’s awesome that you can come to see me tomorrow.”
To me
it seemed that awesomeness had been cheapened somehow.
Awesome
used to come to mind when seeing the ocean
or the Grand Canyon for the first time.
Frankly,
I think I’ve been a bit of an elitist about the whole thing,
so I’m giving it a second think.
I can apply it to a sandwich
and to a visit from a friend
because they too
are awesome after all.
If I sit and think about it
all food is awesome . . .
it nourishes my body and gives me energy.
That is awesome indeed.
And it is awesome
that someone wants to see me badly enough
to take the time and trouble to come to my house.
Everything that I feel, see, hear, taste and touch
is awesome,
and if I keep my eyes wide open
my mouth will hang agape,
and I will be filled with wonder at everything.
Then they will put me in a mental institution. 🙂
May you be brimming with wonder and awe, dear Sparrow, and that means you are awesome.
Thank you,
dear Drea,
for the smile. 🙂
Your mention of awesome being cheapened reminds me of when I worked at Whole Foods. Everything there was “amazing” – the displays were amazing, the day was amazing, lunch was amazing, the new coffee drink at the coffee bar was amazing, the team was amazing, you were amazing, I was amazing (well, I may have been!) … but it got to a point where I was so tired of hearing how “amazing” everything was… it was so overused and, yes, cheapened in a sense. A few years later, I can appreciate amazing again, thankfully 🙂
Yes,
that’s right,
dear Sunnypatti . . .
‘amazing’
is another one of those words. 🙂
No institutions for you, dear Sparrow. 😊
I agree with you that so many things that are thought of as small
like eating nourishing food, a visit from a friend,
and something that can be experienced through the senses
Is awesome.
If I was in constant awareness of this I would be amazed all the time.
Some more awareness and amazement would do me some good. 😸♥️
It would do us all some good,
dear Mary,
right? ♥
Thank you, dear Sparrow for the chuckle. Just two days ago while speaking with our grandson Emerick, I gave him added new nickname because he was singing and dancing on a video our daughter sent. Busta Rhymes. His response, Papa you an odd man!
Take it as a compliment, Joseph. You are out of the ordinary.🩷
Thank you,
dear Joseph . . .
I was hoping
that someone would get it. 🙂
ps. I love the new nickname . . .
he will understand some day. ♥
His father is a musician, I just figure he knew pretty soon.
Hmmm, well, yesterday we had one of those weather days with a bit of everything. Big black clouds, sunshine, and at one point it rained so hard for a few minutes and I just sat and watched the big drops hitting the soaking wet pavement in a mesmerizing display. And a few minutes later the cloud moved on and the sun came out, and within 30min, the pavement was dry again as if nothing had just happened. Im glad I got to experience that.
I watched the lunar eclipse two nights ago, starting when the moon was roughly half-eaten from the bottom. Such a different image than the slice at the side for normal waxing and waning. I’d rest my eyes now and then but watched for roughly 45 minutes. It was down to the very last fingernail paring and I was going to get to watch it wink out–and then the cloud cover I knew to expect because I’m in rainy western Washington drifted past, heavy enough to obscure it. So I missed the actual full eclipse moment and seeing the eclipsed moon but it was still pretty amazing in real time. “That’s the shadow of our whole entire planet!”
I saw part of it, and am so excited that I did.
I wake up every few hours, so I hoped I would see it.
I’m in Florida, so I think it was between 3;30 and 4;30 AM.
I got up about 3;45, watched for a bit, and was thrilled.
Then I went back to bed smiling.
Very cool, it was too cloudy in our area to see it.
I just returned from having breakfast with two friends. Both women have had very challenging lives. One is still working at the age of 72. Both women live on a limited income but both are so generous with time and funds. I often feel a sens of awe when I am around them. They both embrace life so fully.
Last night I was listening to a Nonviolence Radio episode about a new movie (“There is Another Way”) about the group Combatants for Peace. I was awe-struck to learn about former fighters from the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the conflict who have come together to work for peace, and make the decision day after day (some of them for almost 20 years!) to choose to work for peace even in the midst of the violence that surrounds them, and even after October 7 and its aftermath. And in the radio interview, one of the long-standing members of Combatants for Peace described how they have not only been working in Israel-Palestine, but have travelled around the world. I was awe-struck by this quote of his,
“We’ve been to conflict zones around the world, to learn and to teach them. For example, we were a few times in North Ireland, in South Africa, in the Balkans, in ex-Yugoslavia, and so on. And I have so many insights from these places. For example, the fact that they all – in all these places, they always said the same thing. That until the very last moment, people say, like we say here, Israelis in Palestine, “There is no way to solve it…. We have no partner,” and so on. They all said it. That it was this way of thinking, or this mode, was until the very last moments. Then something happens, then some kind of tectonic moves, and all of a sudden, it becomes doable.”
Thank you so much for this information, Elizabeth.🩷
That is so interesting , Elizabeth, and so moving.
Thank you for sharing this.
I think you mentioned Nonviolence Radio before.
Is it a podcast? Or if not, how can I find it?
Hi Mary– Yes, I think that you can find it on any podcast apps. I usually listen to it through the webpage: https://www.mettacenter.org/nonviolenceradio . Most of the episodes are really good, but there are occasional “duds”. The last several episodes have been super inspirational!
Thanks Elizabeth!
I have been in a state of awe with the angels that have come forward to help us with major decisions and complications.
I am so grateful, Yram, that angels here on earth have been so helpful to you and your husband
during these difficult times that you and your husband have been going through.
I send my love to both of you and will light a candle for you in the light a candle section of this website.
You can find it under, Mary, For Yram and her husband.
I too,
dear Yram,
am happy that have angels in your life,
especially during this very difficult time. ♥
I am so glad to hear that angels have been coming forward to help you, Yram! ♥️
The current drought, including more than 150 days with not a single drop of rain in Phoenix, Maricopa County gave me a feeling of desperation. Then this last week, an awesome thing: rain! clouds! thunder!
Open the windows, because I want to hear!
Bring in the porch furniture cushions!
Turn off the drip system!
Let’s watch what our cactuses do now!
That reminds me of the smell of creosote in the desert after it rains. Enjoy all that wonderful moisture and how nature responds, what a treat!
Five months without a drop of rain. Oh my!
I am so glad it finally rained.
May it continue!
Thank you for posting this,
dear John,
refreshing my memory of those rare, violent thunderstorms
and how exhilarating they were . . .
I lived in Maricopa county for a few years.
Pure bliss,
those storms . . . ♥
The big full moon was shining bright into our bedroom window last night. I am always infatuated by the full moon. Every time is like the first time seeing it. I can feel the energy, and I love it. I wish I could have seen the eclipse, but maybe another time.
Happy Saturday 🙂
I’m sorry too,
dear Sunnypatti,,
that I missed the blood moon and the eclipse . . .
maybe next time.
But I,
like you,
love feasting on the moon
when it shines in my bedroom window.
Thank you. ♥
It fills us up every time, doesn’t it?
Sept. 7 this year for people in other parts of the world (parts of Asia, Western Australia, and some areas of Europe and Africa, but not from the Americas.)
March 3-4, 2026 it will be visible in the US.
For you, SunnyPatti: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/north-carolina
Wow! Thank you, Barb! Maybe I can catch a partial solar eclipse later this month. Cool website!
I remember writing this not too long ago… being able to see a rocket launch from my house and I live on the West Coast of Fl, not the East.
Enjoy the weekend everyone – I am having my annual traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day dinner – making corned beef and cabbage, green beans, potatoes, also Shepherds Pie, and Irish Soda Bread, made Irish potatoes last night with my son’s gf.
I was jogging around a small, shallow urban lake the other day. The lake contains a fair amount of trash and the water is brown. Canadian geese and several kinds of ducks swim in it, and when I jog around, I try to look at them and not the less savory elements of the lake. This time, I saw that a beaver had felled two slender trees on the shore. I didn’t see the beaver, but the trees indicated that it had somehow made its way through a shallow, concrete-lined creek and more than one tunnel to arrive at this lake, which is bordered by a highway on one side and a very busy street on the other. I felt a sense of awe as I imagined the beaver’s journey through the city.
Awesome,
dear Drea . . .
a very determined beaver. 🙂
Determined and industrious, especially when the first frost of fall knocks!
A glimpse of the moon through the still-bare trees a couple of nights ago. Stark and spare, but that was part of the beauty.
My twin sister’s son was born on March 7th. The first moment I saw him through the video call was wonderful! He’s a gift of God to my family.
Congratulations to you and your twin sister, Ngoc! And aren’t video calls an awesome thing? We have used them to be in touch with our niece who lives in a different state and is now one and a half years old.
My Ngoc, I remember scrolling through Facebook that morning. That was when I 1st saw the news. There were hundreds of positive reactions and at least 20 pages of comments.
Congratulations to you and your sister Ngoc!
Last night we watched the movie, “Flow” with friends. It is a beautifully animated film, no script, rather a musical score and sound effects, to guide you through the story. The characters are land animals, birds, and creatures of the sea. The creativity, the visual arts, the sound arts, were “awe”some to be a part of. Because it was created by humans, one sees our characteristics interwoven with the instincts of the characters. We don’t always fare well, however, it does offer an opportunity to consider what works in group dynamics. Spoiler alert; for our many feline lovers who come here, you will appreciate the main character.🩷
Lovely,
dear Mary . . . ♥