Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,
Some weeks ago, I shared that a friend took me to Longwood Gardens for my birthday. It was a cold January day, but within the warmth and beauty of the arboretum, we discovered such color and life. It was an oasis in the middle of the barren landscape of winter.
When I stepped into the first conservatory, my glasses immediately fogged from the dramatic change in temperature and climate. After taking them off and letting my eyes adjust, I simply stood there—eyes wide—slowly turning in place, trying to take it all in. Everywhere I looked there was beauty: vibrant flowers, towering palms, rich greens, and bright colors alive in the middle of winter.
My friend stood nearby with a huge smile on his face and began to laugh.
“I love bringing people here and watching their reaction,” he said. “Because there’s nothing like seeing it for the very first time.”
And he’s right.
There is something sacred about experiencing things for the first time. The first time we taste something delicious, smell the fragrance of a flower, hear a beautiful piece of music, or witness a breathtaking landscape—we are filled with awe, wonder, excitement, and life. But over time, familiarity quietly dulls our awareness. What once filled us with amazement becomes ordinary. What once made us pause becomes something we pass by without noticing.
What a loss.
The French writer Marcel Proust once wrote,
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
And G. K. Chesterton reminds us,
“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder.”
In this season, I invite us to awaken our souls again to the gifts of God and life that surround us—to see again, as if for the very first time, the sunrise in the morning sky, the faces of those we love, the taste of our favorite food, the sound of a song that stirs our hearts.
To see again, with fresh eyes, the gift of God’s love alive in the world—so that our hearts may be stirred, our souls nourished, and our spirits enlivened.
Lenten Blessings,
Paul+