Carbonated holiness

Laughter is carbonated holiness.

                        -Anne Lamont

Great line, huh?

I’m sure you are like me and you have certain friends you that make you laugh.  When you think of them right now, you’re smiling, right? How great is that?  What gifts they have given you…laughter, happy memories, fun. 

What about the people who are good listeners?  How do you feel when you think of them?  Comforted and understood.  What gifts they have given you…attention, understanding, kindness.

What about the friends that take care of things for you? They bring a meal, lend a hand, say a prayer.  They take your kids for a day, they remember your birthday, they bring food to your parties.  You think of them and you feel taken care of.  You are nurtured.  What gifts they have given you…generosity, assistance, support.

What about the friends that go places with you?  They have fun ideas, they plan outings, they are willing to try a new restaurant, a new movie, a new vacation spot.  When you think of them, you feel excitement and anticipation.  What gifts they have given you…enthusiasm, companionship.

What about the friends that are lifelong friends?  When you think of them, you feel like they are family, your stories are intertwined, they have “been there” for you through all of life’s ups and downs.  What gifts they have given you…loyalty and history.

All of these friends have brought “holiness” into your life in one way or another.  What is holiness?  I believe it’s everything that makes up our lives.  There is no part of our life where God is absent so isn’t it all holy in some way? 

What kind of “holiness” are you sharing with your friends?

 Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being.

-Brother David Steindl-Rast