Don’t Pasque Me By

An Excerpt from Reflection No. 20 from Wide-Eyed Wonder

As a child I was a faithful pursuer of the pasque flower. Our neighbor’s pasture across the road held the promise of pasque flowers each spring. I made multiple trips across the pasture fence hoping today would be the day when they would bloom. The anticipation was part of the wonder. And finally, there they were in their delicate purple dresses with soft, fuzzy stems! I remember gently passing the stem over my lips, shivering with delight. I would pick a hand-full to offer my mom only to discover that by the time I arrived home, they would be nodding their heads suggesting that some things should be observed not picked. Their beauty was not mine to acquire.

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How often do we “pasque” by these simple delights, not knowing the sweet experience of the moment and the memories they hold for a lifetime? It is so easy to be distracted by the clamor, the busyness, the distractions that then steal our awareness from the holy moments of awe.