On November 10 I was standing on Mars Hill, a rocky pinnacle offering a panoramic view of ancient Athens. Behind me towered the breath-taking Parthenon, a testament to the building skills of ancient Greeks and one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. Here was a boy from the small town of Reno, Pennsylvania standing where the Apostle Paul preached--Imagine That!
It took my breath away! As I stood there in awe another tourist passed by and I heard her say these words: "Been there, done that, what's next?" Imagine That! The uneven top of Mars Hill has been polished by millions of feet over the centuries requiring you to pay attention or fall hard. Standing there you are little more than a speck dwarfed by the towering pillars of antiquity. AND she has been there, done that, while diminishing the moment with her words-Imagine That!
Am I really so different? I take some pictures, glance around, remind myself I have seen it all before, and wait for the last person in my group to head down. Her words were a shout to my soul to wake me again to an incredible moment in my life. I was standing where Paul had a good old-fashioned, no-holds-barred discussion with philosophers and the curious! How could I not be moved by the wonder of it all?
The daily temptation is to lose sight of just how incredibly wondrous this life is. Wonder gets lost in routine and repetition. You do not have to go to Athens, Greece to experience the incredible gift of wonder. The moments surround us: the deep, from-the-belly laughter of a happy baby in a restaurant...the gentle snore of a life partner laying beside you in the darkness of the night...a white rose still blooming on November 22...the memory of my Grandpa Boyles making cranberry relish for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Life is full of such moments but many are missed because we have 'been there, done that.' I invite you to be soul shocked again this week by how awesome life is. Imagine That this Thanksgiving!
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