Article July 19, 2004 Issue

Through a spiritual lens IF YOU BLINK...

Wendy Rankin

As the saying goes, "If you blink, you'll miss it."

I recently had a small encounter with this concept. My husband and I were visiting his grandparents' old farmhouse in Vermont. When we're there, we like to go into the barn, where a lot of barn cats are lurking. Well, this time there weren't any at all to be found. We stayed there for a while, taking pictures of the different structures and objects in the barn, and then we left.

Turning one last time to look into the window, I noticed this black cat just sitting in the window, silently watching us. It was barely even noticeable. It must have been there the whole time. I grabbed the camera for a quick photo.

I thought later about the parallel between this still, quiet cat and the beautiful experiences in our lives that we might miss or take for granted. But if we take the time to look for and recognize the good, we may catch a glimpse of something wondrous that has always been there, while we were too busy blinking.

Wendy Rankin
Quincy, Massachusetts

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