The Common

It’s plain. It lacks forceful colors and shape.
You can see the same scene in all directions.
Common. Unimaginative.
And those critiques are true for one who flips the pages of
the travel magazine, for someone who has never
heard the sound of sand crunching under foot,
never smelled the desert after a rain,
never walked among the living things and
heard them speak to the wind.
This is the sanctuary of the Sacred.
Tread lightly. Perhaps the song of the Cactus Wren
will transform the moment into Holy Mystery
and you will see in the soft lines of the distant
mountains an invitation into a state of Gratitude.
It’s the long view.
Two men walked into the desert, stopped for a moment
to take in the scenery, and said in turn:
“God, this is an awful place!”
and “God, this place is full of awe!”
Only eyes of the Spirit can see beyond the obvious.