July 2026

"We should always celebrate life."

Those were among the last words of a friend,

Sr. Antoinette Van Galen, OSB, who died recently,

at the age of 98.

In her honor, we share these reflections with you.

I overlook so much wonder, every day.

In an earlier issue of this newsletter, I wrote about the whooping cranes that come to a field in Lamar, Texas, grazing alongside the cattle. While that article focused on the cranes, I also included these lines: “There are other wonders as well: Sunshine turns rain and dirt into grass. Grass turns into milk, frisky calves and beefsteak.”

I concluded that essay by writing, “O Lord, grant me eyes to see your wonders. In every field. On every day.”

I still need to pray that prayer. I get into my routines. I get lost in my thoughts – often my worries. I walk down the block hardly noticing the flowers that I pass, the birds overhead, or the air that I breathe.

But our world is full of wonders. As John O’Donohue puts it, “Above us, the galaxies dance out toward infinity. Under our feet is ancient earth. We are beautifully molded from this clay.”*

The other day, I pulled into our driveway and noticed an oddly-colored spot on the garage door. Our cottage, including the garage door, was recently painted. “Oh, no!” I thought. “The paint has already chipped!” But I was wrong. That was not chipped paint. It was a delightfully patterned living creature (pictured above). With the help of my smart phone, I was able to identify it as a Fractured Western Snout Moth (Diastictis fracturalis).

But note how my mind moved: I started with worry (chipped paint!). It took me a while to get to wonder (what a beautiful little creature!)

I pray that, in the days ahead, I put worries aside and focus more on wonder. “O Lord, grant me eyes to see your wonders. In every field. On every day.”

--Bill

*Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (HarperCollins, 1997), p. xvi.

Reviewing some of our earlier issues, I paused to remember the lingering awe I felt while writing about two simple things: an acorn and a wine bottle. From Issue 121:

I fondly remember my father, R.T., picking up an acorn from a pile of leaves and reciting Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" -I think I shall never see / a poem as lovely as a tree...." He would marvel at how that tiny acorn could grow into a mighty oak tree.

Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ....get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed." Heschel also said, "The surest way to suppress our ability to understand the meaning of God and the importance of worship is to take things for granted ... Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin."

Some people never cease to be amazed, so the saying goes. But wonder is the spark that sensitizes us to the greatest marvel of all: that we exist, and that we are conscious of our existence. Recently some friends dropped by for a visit and Wayne noticed a remnant of a craft fair: a glowing wine bottle filled with a string of tiny white lights. He marveled at its beauty and how the lights filled the wine bottle to make a light that shown with brilliance. A wine bottle - and just imagine! the world is brimming with brilliance!

"'Replete is the world with a spiritual radiance, replete with sublime and marvelous secrets. But a small hand held against the eye hides it all,' said the Baal Shem."

The hand can hold an acorn in wonder or hide it all!

--Jan

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