Thin Places

During our time here at Malibu Club, I've been able to return to a passion that I so dearly enjoy, and that is pleasure reading. As a little girl, I would hide-away in the playroom and read hours on end. It was so easy to become immersed in the lives of the characters in the books, that it was hard to pull away.

Since the theme of this summer for our family has been adventure, I've decided to read books that fall in line with this genre. Treasure Island was polished off in no time at all and now I'm on to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis.

During my quiet hour yesterday, I came across a verse that connected with a talk I heard later in the evening on "Thin Places." In the Celtic tradition a thin place is described as a location where two worlds meet. In Walking Through Thin Places, Mindie Burgoyne offers this interpretation: "Thin Places are ports in the storm of life, where the pilgrims can move closer to the God they seek, where one leaves that which is familiar and journeys into the Divine Presence. They are stopping places where men and women are given pause to wonder about what lies beyond the mundane rituals, the grief, trials and boredom of our day-to-day life. They probe to the core of the human heart and open the pathway that leads to satisfying the familiar hungers and yearnings common to all people on earth, the hunger to be connected, to be a part of something greater, to be loved, to find peace."

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I came across a verse that a Dryad woman spoke over Reepicheep, who is a valiant mouse and self-appointed humble servant to Prince Caspian: "Where sky and water meet, Where the waves grow sweet, Doubt not, Reepicheep, To find all you seek, There is the utter East" (pp.22).

C.S. Lewis no doubt penned these words to articulate that the object he longs for is not this world but another world. To find unity with Aslan in his country, is his hearts desire (p.179). He describes briefly in Mere Christianity: "Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, ...I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same" (p.120).

In this adventure, where my faith is sure and my commitment is total, I find joy! Sharing this period in life with special friends, exercising childlike faith, and living at the threshold of a thin place is more than I could ever asked for or imagined.

Best,

Julie