Hi everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate your feedback. In a few weeks, you’ll be reading even more about how to get in touch with me when you read these articles.
Today, we’re looking at miracles. I have this quote about miracles from Willa Cather in her novel Death Comes for the Archbishop. She said,
“Miracles rest not so much upon healing power coming near us from afar, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that, for a moment, our eyes can see and our ears can hear what has been there around us always.”
Can you imagine that miracles are there for us to see? And you know, miracles can come in the most mundane, everyday forms. A friend of mine, not too long ago, told me a story.
She said: “My daughter brought this beautiful jar of strawberry preserves, and I had been waiting a long time before I was going to open it. Finally, yesterday, I decided to have some toast and open the jar. Well, I tried to open it, and my wrist got sore, my hands got sore. I put the thing in hot water, and I even banged it gently on the tiles in my kitchen, but it wouldn’t open. So, I put it down and grabbed something else to eat with my toast.”
She went on, “All evening, I was so aggravated at this little jar of strawberry preserves for not opening, and here it had come all the way from the UK! The next morning, I thought, ‘I might as well throw that jar away, but I’ll give it one last try.’ And it opened easily.”
She finished: “Isn’t it amazing how sometimes we are tempted to stop before the thing we want to produce is actually produced? Before the miracle we want to have happen in our life—or the lives of others—actually happens? How many times have we given up and said, ‘No, it’s too hard, it’s not mine to do’?”
The other day, I read a quote—though I can’t remember who said it—that goes something like this: “If something is too hard for you to do, you’re trying to take too big a step. Try doing less. Start small, find something you can do easily with it, and then progress slowly until the miracle happens—when you get the result you want.”
You and I are surrounded by miracles all our lives. For example, do you remember the first time you learned how to ride a bike? I still remember being on a bike with my dad holding onto it. He kept saying, “Keep pedaling, keep pedaling!” At some point, he let go, and I didn’t even know. I kept going for 10 or 20 feet before I toppled over. But we tried again and again until something miraculous happened—I discovered balance!
Have you had that moment? Most of us have ridden a bike at some point. That moment when you get what balance feels like it opens up a whole new world. To this day, I haven’t ridden a bike in maybe 20 years, but if I got on one now—even one with larger tires than the racer I used to ride—the balance, which was once a miracle, has become second nature.
Another example: I remember when I first learned how to drive. My mom had this green Mustang convertible with tan leather interior. I can still see it as I write about it. This was decades ago. I had just gotten my driver’s license when, one day, my mom handed me the keys and said, “Maria, would you like to pick up your sister from her piano lessons?”
I was in heaven! I rolled down the top of the convertible. I remember the Beach Boys’ California Girls playing as I drove carefully to pick up my sister. That moment felt like a miracle. But fast forward four months later, I was sitting in front of the TV watching Star Trek—I am and always will be a Trekkie. My mom came up, dangled the car keys, and asked, “Maria, would you like to pick up your sister?” And, instead of jumping up ready to grab the keys, I said, “ Mom, can I finish this episode first?”
Why did I say that? Because the miracle had become every day. This is how it is for us. What we consider to be mundane now was once extraordinary. Do you remember the first time you used a computer? Back then, it felt like a miracle. Now, it’s just another tool in our lives.
One of the things that happens as we grow is that our eyes and ears can perceive what’s always been around us on a deeper level. What once seemed miraculous becomes part of our routine. But even so, sometimes, we can see new possibilities—things we hadn’t noticed before.
Why am I saying this to you now? Well, if you’re willing, here’s what I suggest that you do:
- Take out a pen and go to a notebook where you keep track of what you are going to do. Don’t type this electronically—and write down a list of things that feel ordinary now but once felt miraculous. There’s something powerful about writing by hand. Your energy is more present in the act. When you read what you’ve written, the words have more meaning.
- Think about the things you’ve learned to do, which are now automatic but once felt extraordinary—like learning to balance on a bike or drive a car. These are your personal miracles.
Now, picture your life as a path illuminated by glowing lanterns. Each lantern represents a miracle, a moment of growth that helped you move forward. As you look back, you can see that these moments tell the story of your life, one miracle at a time.
It’s important to train yourself to see the miraculous in everyday life. What did you experience today that was extraordinary? I say extraordinary, not ordinary, because extraordinary means something outside your usual way of doing things.
I once saw a YouTube video of a little boy, about five years old, who had just learned to balance on a bike. He exclaimed, “I’m happy of myself!” He was experiencing an extraordinary moment in which he got balance! His father asked what he wanted to tell other kids about riding, and he gave an impassioned little speech. You can see it here.
The title of this article is Don’t Stop Before the Miracle. Think about this:
- Is there something you stopped doing because it felt too difficult? Something you gave up on because you told yourself, “It’s never going to happen”? Maybe you were closer than you thought. My friend and her jar of preserves are a perfect example. All the work she had done the night before—tapping, heating—prepared her for that one easy twist the next morning.
- Have you thrown away any miracles in your life? Perhaps you tried to do too much at once or didn’t break things down into smaller, manageable steps. What do you see as you look back?
If you’re willing to reflect on this, it can bring more joy and fulfillment than you’ve ever had before. Whether it’s a project, an artwork, or a task like filling out forms, take small, steady steps. You might find that miracles happen when you least expect them.
As we get older, we sometimes become set in our ways, doing things as we’ve always done. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a miracle waiting for you around the corner. Like a dance partner, it’s waiting for you to step forward.
Remember that part of Willa Cather’s quote: how can your perception be made finer? By taking small, consistent steps toward what you’d love to achieve. Don’t stop before the miracle.
Here’s to your miraculous life,
