And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

I was talking with someone earlier this week and the topic of our summer vacations came up. I explained my vacation and studies trip this summer and he was surprised that I chose to drive from California, to Idaho, to Indiana and then back to Santa Clara. My response was that there was so much to see, the beauty of the earth and the joy, the profoundness and the silliness of our human endeavors too.
Sitting in a car and driving down interstate highways as well as smaller state roads gives you appreciation of both God’s work and the creative genius of the human spirit. I have begun to appreciate more and more the travel and process of getting to a place rather than my youthful…put the car in drive and don’t stop until you get where you are going. Of course this takes time…which we can often lack in our busy schedules…but it is something to be taken seriously in using our time wisely to enjoy and give honor to the beauty surrounding us.

I have found that even in the place I grew up, central Idaho, I missed a lot in my youth. My brother took me on a small ride to a place where he is working on building a house. It was a beautiful journey and one that I had never been on and roads I had not traveled even though it was less than an hour from where I grew up. Seeing things with new eyes and taking time to rest in the beauty is important for each of us and human beings made in the image and likeness of God.
Because the spiritual life can be very similar to these journeys that we take and seeing new things in familiar places. I was reminded of this in visiting and driving through some of the small midwestern towns with their beautiful churches and at times bumping into a parishioner who, in kindness and hospitality, would often show off “their parish” with pride to a strange Californian priest wandering through.

This stop was a reminder of how in the our prayer life something will pop up into our minds or a prayer will come into our hearts and if we rush by thinking. “Oh that is a pretty prayer” without stopping, getting off our routine treadmill and seeking to enter into a conversation with God we miss a beauty that is irreplaceable and will swiftly fall into the jumble of life and be forgotten.
It is also a reminder of taking time to laugh and smile with God and discover the deeper joys of prayer in service of his people. Like the world’s largest Garden Gnome in Ames Iowa.

Stopping to see this wonder of the world only to discover an artist creating sculptures of scrap metal. Searching out and spending time in joyous blessings leads to greater and more profound discoveries of God’s presence, beauty and wonder in our lives and in the world.
Last but not least is giving thanks…each morning, each night and in each encounter to give thanks to God for the the gift of life. Once more, this moment of thanks stops you in your tracks…it pauses your mind to take notice and give glory to God…this is the wonder of life.
God Bless
Fr. Mark