I See!

Author Henry Miller once said: “One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.” I beg to differ. A destination is always a place. I’ve got to get to the grocery store, or to Chicago, or to my doctor’s office; those are destinations. My days are filled with departures and arrivals. Another way of grasping what Mr. Miller said is this: Every destination reached is an opportunity to see in a new way. Seeing in a new way; seeing as if for the first time; seeing beyond what your eyes take in. For instance, my doctor’s office is packed with sick people, and here I sit in the midst of coughing, sneezing, and runny noses. And then I look to my right and there is a sweet little girl nestled in her mother’s lap, her head resting on mother’s chest. I’m looking at her…the destination of my looking…and then, suddenly, I see her. I see her because she glances my way and her eyes lock onto mine. For a moment only, we see each other. A soft smile forms on her face and I return the smile just as she closes her eyes in the peace and security of Mom’s arms. In the midst of sneezing, coughing and runny noses, I’m not looking, I’m seeing. Two smiles meet; a connection is made, and for a split second my destination becomes a divine encounter.

The destination is important, but destinations always hold surprises that are encountered not simply by looking, but by seeing. Think about some of the destinations in your life, the ones you will go to today: the restaurant, the barber shop, the next room in your house. Every destination is a doorway to seeing with the eyes of your heart, and that’s certainly in keeping with who we are, followers of The Way. “Lillies of the field…birds of the air…”

You look at them every day. But, do you see them?