“The world is charged with the grandeur of God” (Gerard Manley Hopkins).

I’m an extrovert by nature, but over the years I’ve learned to enjoy silence and solitude.  Truthfully, I think I’ve always had a contemplative-philosophical side to me.  I remember as a child laying in bed at night, driving myself crazy pondering what it means to live eternally.  As strange as it sounds, I also remember the first time I became conscious of my uniqueness. Again, I was just a child, maybe six or seven years old.  My family was getting into the car in the driveway, and out of the blue, like a self-conscious flash, I became deeply aware of myself.  The only way I could express it–and I spoke it audibly–was, “I feel like me.”  My sisters thought I was weird.

I wasn’t a very good high school student.  I failed algebra two years in a row (not two quarters, not two semesters, but two YEARS).  I simply couldn’t grasp it.  There weren’t many subjects for which I had a passion.  But I do remember surprising my junior English teacher when I suddenly raised my hand and correctly answered a question concerning the metaphysical poets.  I was just as surprised as she was, but something inside me enjoyed these poets who contemplated existence.  I went on to study theology and philosophy in college and continued to ponder the deeper questions of life and existence. Read more »