Have you ever stopped to feel the sunlight on a crisp, autumn day? Have you ever inhaled the scent of rain in the midst of a downpour?  Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed how many flecks of color actually make up your eye color?

Day after day we go through our routines and miss noticing the intricate details in God’s creation. Often we don’t appreciate the five senses we have to experience and interact with these marvels. How can we appreciate the smell of a home-baked apple pie if we haven’t noticed the skunk that lurks around at night? The buzzing of a bee is a much more soothing sound than the drone of a lawnmower, just as long as long as the bee stays outdoors. We’re so busy looking for the feeling of God in our emotions and spirit, we don’t notice His touch in the tree outside our window, sheltering the birds and squirrels.

We hear in the gospel of Matthew (10:30) that the hairs of our head are counted and sometimes it seems  hard to comprehend.  If there are billions of people on the planet, how can the thousands of hairs on one person be noticed? Since God is not a being like us, His attention to detail is limitless. At least we can see the hair on our head.  What about the molecules and atoms making up one strand of hair? I remember from my school days that hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water and those atoms join with others to make up everything we can see and touch. While the palette of atoms is finite, God’s imagination runs wide as seen on earth. Only God knows what other amazing creations He has in other planets of the universe, although we may get glimpses as we send telescopes and scientific equipment out to investigate.  

During Sunday Mass, we give praise to God in the Gloria, but when was the last time you thanked Him for being able to savor the taste of a pizza? Or for feeling a breeze across your face? Taking time to see God in these little details helps us to recognize the blessings we have and can lead us closer to Him, since no detail is too small for God. All creation comes alive at His Word; may we hear and see the results with endless praise and thanksgiving.