Human Gifts

I love seeing the things that other human beings around me are able to do. This thrill and awe at human giftedness is especially strong when I know the people involved, but it can still happen when I am out and about and come across human giftedness at the hands of strangers. When I am in large cities like Atlanta or New York, there are often sides of buildings that have been given to artists who compose some amazing artwork–the size of a multi-story building!  How did they do that? It takes my breath away, and I am in awe of the fact that a human being conceived of that scene and somehow scaled the side of a building to paint it. 

But, I feel the same wonder when I see you knitting or crocheting a blanket or a piece of clothing for something.  Or when I see what you can do with a sharp knife and a piece of wood. Or what you can do with a paint brush and a canvas. Or what you can do when you put your fingers on a piano, or a guitar, or a flute, or a drum, or a violin. Or when you combine some ingredients and serve up an amazing meal or a delicious dessert. Or what you can do with a forge and metal. I see how some of you do wonders in the garden. I see what some of you can do with a hammer and a saw that blows my mind. Some of you are organizational geniuses, eagle eyes with words and numbers and technology. Some of you can look at a space and see several possibilities for how it can be used. Some of you are artists of the spirit, mystics among us. Some of you work magic in ways that defy imagination.

I am beginning to think that this winter season of holidays and holy days across many religions celebrates the awe and wonder of gifts that come pouring through human lives. As we walk around these dark holidays and see lights, let them remind us of all the gifts happening and flowing around us. And give thanks.

~Bob Patrick