January 3, 2015
(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and
illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)
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| © Photo by Bonnie Schupp |
This morning
welcomed me with dampened sounds drifting through bare branches. The nearby
Lutheran church bells were playing Holy, Holy, Holy. I love the sound of
church bells, not because it makes me think about a deity or because it makes
me want to pray, but because it breathes on my own internal wind chime and
stirs a feeling of wholeness in me.
What is holy
and is this word anchored to religion only? The English etymology goes back to
the 11th century meaning—something that must be preserved whole
and cannot be violated. The Scottish hale means health, happiness
and wholeness, not necessarily related to a god. The word holy is often
replaced with the word sacred.
Most
religions connect sacredness with icons such as the Bible, the Quran.
Sometimes people become violent when their religious icons are destroyed, such
as in the 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests where 30 people were
killed and many more injured. To some, the word holy is a companion to war,
which destroys life. I believe in the holiness of life, not objects or
religious icons.
What is
sacred for me are intangible moments such as the time I spent with my father in
the Oak Crest chapel with rays of light coming through the window. It was not a
holy instant because the setting was in a chapel; the magic and meaning had
nothing to do with religion. It was sacred because it illuminated the
connection I held with my father. For me, what is most sacred are connections
that touch the human spirit, with or without belief in any god. This moment,
this now, is holy. I am connected and whole.
Today’s gift is now,
this moment.
You can read my other posts on this project here:
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