A Thin Place for them. A Thin Moment for us.Back in 2002 at Nags Head, NC when I snapped this photo of 4 of our now 14 grandchildren, all of the adults in the room knew we were witnessing a very special scene. But our view produced a different response than the grandchildren’s. They were in the midst of a Thin Place experience, even as brief as it was – they were mesmerized by God’s pure beauty expressed so engagingly through some of his intrinsic symbols. As described in my book, light, color and space are three of the most powerful intrinsic (native, natural) symbols in nature’s toolbox. Humans are hard-wired to connect almost magnetically with intrinsic symbols, regardless of age, education or culture. That’s why their use is one of the preferred and timeless ingredients to include in our human-made environments. A skilled use of intrinsic symbols is a vital part of building people engagement. And people engagement is a vital part of a truly successful facility. Yet, people engagement – is what so many facilities lack.
Back to the photo. At the same time our youngsters were magically enthralled in this early morning connective pause, we adults were witnessing the process as a minor miracle. None of us has ever been able to secure such sustained devoted attention from even one child – much less four of them, and all at different ages. Part of the miracle was that all of them were completely relaxed and at peace with the connection. Look at them. That’s a good example of the power of a Thin Place.
How you might feel now looking at this scene may be very similar to how we adults felt then. As I acknowledged the spiritual-like captivation of the four, I sensed imaginary invisible strings held by each of their human spirits and extending to the Cosmic Holy Spirit parked within the sun’s brilliance. It was like watching a butterfly’s first appearance through an opening in its cocoon. To us observers, this perhaps was a Thin Moment for us, seeing this spirited connection of others as an example of a profound truth. Do you see the primary difference here between a Thin Place experience by the grandchildren and a probable Thin Moment experience by the rest of us watching that connection? There’s lots of wiggle room between those two terms and no specific yes-no answers. But to me, a Thin Place experience is like feeling the heat of several lightning strikes nearby, as the vibrations of its power shake my muted gratitude – finally awake. A Thin Moment may be more like catching an unexpected glimpse of the lightning as it paints a darting bolt in the sky miles away…then hearing the thunder mumble a reminder in the distance.
Had any similar experiences?
Back to the photo. At the same time our youngsters were magically enthralled in this early morning connective pause, we adults were witnessing the process as a minor miracle. None of us has ever been able to secure such sustained devoted attention from even one child – much less four of them, and all at different ages. Part of the miracle was that all of them were completely relaxed and at peace with the connection. Look at them. That’s a good example of the power of a Thin Place.
How you might feel now looking at this scene may be very similar to how we adults felt then. As I acknowledged the spiritual-like captivation of the four, I sensed imaginary invisible strings held by each of their human spirits and extending to the Cosmic Holy Spirit parked within the sun’s brilliance. It was like watching a butterfly’s first appearance through an opening in its cocoon. To us observers, this perhaps was a Thin Moment for us, seeing this spirited connection of others as an example of a profound truth. Do you see the primary difference here between a Thin Place experience by the grandchildren and a probable Thin Moment experience by the rest of us watching that connection? There’s lots of wiggle room between those two terms and no specific yes-no answers. But to me, a Thin Place experience is like feeling the heat of several lightning strikes nearby, as the vibrations of its power shake my muted gratitude – finally awake. A Thin Moment may be more like catching an unexpected glimpse of the lightning as it paints a darting bolt in the sky miles away…then hearing the thunder mumble a reminder in the distance.
Had any similar experiences?
Page, this is a stunning photo AND post! Just wonderful. Thank you for blessing us by sharing.
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