As I walked outside with Zinnia, a windstorm came up out of nowhere; it was warm but strong enough to blow my hat and my glasses right off my head.

I walked to one of our chairs outside and sat down, clutching my hat, and took my glasses off.

I was sitting under the apple tree, and the leaves were blowing hard right over my head.

It was, without a doubt, a magical moment; I was opened up and vulnerable. The wind was fierce, yet not threatening.

I thought of one of my favorite Thomas Merton quotes:

“Life is this simple: we live in a transparent world, and the divine shines through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable. it is true.”

At this beautiful moment, this was true for me. I reached down for my camera, pointed it up at the trees, opened the shutter wide, and hoped I could capture the moment.

I think the camera did capture it. The whole earth seemed to be moving, saying something.

It was one of the most beautiful moments I can recall. Whatever we believe, the divine is shining through all of the time, if we stop to see it.

In a few minutes, the wind swirled away, and the tree grew quiet and still.