I was introduced to the notion of thin places several years ago by a dear Christian friend of mine from Ireland.  The concept of thin places has its origins in Celtic spiritualism and later in the Christian movement in Ireland.

Thin places are points in time where the distance between the heavenly and earthly realms grows thin and you encounter the sacred.

Thin places can occur in the midst of everyday conversation and happenings or in experiencing God’s beautiful creation in the outdoors – a sunset, a mountain vista, an expansive ocean view — all places for powerful reflection.

Since being introduced to thin places, I have tried to discipline my mind to be more aware of such experiences.  For those of us raising children with special needs, thin places exist all around us, but in our tyranny of the urgent lives, we often fail to see them as such.  Recently, I have become more aware of God’s love for me in my one-on-one time with Mary.  A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful time at the beach with Mary where I had two thin places encounters with God.  Both were simple settings, yet had profound spiritual significance.  The first occurred when Mary and I were walking on a tree-lined street, hand-in-hand, with a cool breeze running over our faces and Mary sporting a huge smile on her face.  The second occurred when Mary and I were sitting quietly on the front porch at sunset, with a refreshing breeze lightly comforting us, towering palmetto trees shadowing over us and beautiful hummingbirds dancing and singing around us.  After a few minutes of such sheer delight, Mary just let out a loud laugh and had a huge smile on her face!  Both of these moments represented thin places for me.  I sensed the presence of God in the midst of these moments.  God was showing me and telling me that Mary delights in His creation and that He cares for her deeply. Both of these moments came at a time when I really needed this encouragement.  Mary recently turned 33, a time when most of her peers are married and having children of their own.  I sometimes long for that life for Mary and still grieve that loss.  But, God, in His infinite wisdom, knows my human frailty and encourages me with these divine moments through His thin places.

Do you recognize the thin places in your life where God is often speaking and showing you his caring love?