| To Touch the Face of God by Kimberly Morrow Being blind from birth, I have discovered throughout the course of my life the unique view of the world my situation has afforded me. I am constantly amazed, for example, at how utterly preoccupied the majority of those who are fully sighted are with physical traits and appearance. Upon first meeting, many a well-intentioned acquaintance has asked me if I could gain a more distinctive impression of them if I were to touch their faces. Many people seem almost dumbfounded when I explain that I have no desire or need to touch the countenances of those who play the most significant roles in my life. "But how are you to know what I look like if you don't touch my face?" I have been asked many times. My patient explanation is that I view the world around me on an entirely different level. Indeed, my interactions with others consist entirely of listening, and in my world, such physical attributes as appearance and skin color have no intelligible voice. I listen intently to what people are saying -- and I listen just as attentively to what they are not saying. I listen for a kind word, a thought-provoking insight, for a poetic passage or a stunning verse of prose. In so many ways, I explain, my daily interactions in and with the world provide me with an ongoing opportunity to touch the face of God. This assertion brings one logically to the question: Who, then, is God? I maintain with conviction that "God" is neither male nor female; God possesses no hatred, physical form or skin color. Rather, "God" is a concept that defies definition. "God" is that imperceptible force that brings just the right people to us at just the right moment -- often when our need is greatest. Lives born and lives lost -- all are meticulously scripted with premeditated deliberence and precision into God's "divine novel." All lives are either bestowed or are sacrificed according to a master planner whose precise origins are intentionally hidden from the view of mere mortals. The victims of September 11, 2001, the homeless, the disabled and those who deal with them all are pieces that fit neatly into this perplexing puzzle we call life. And in the end, much of humanity instinctively realizes this. As a result, I have more in common with the masses than I hold in difference. Ultimately, all earthly inhabitants who believe in an entity higher than ourselves pay homage to a being we have never seen. Hence, the people of Earth -- black and white, rich and poor, able-bodied and disabled -- all join hands as we touch the face of "God" together. Kimberly Morrow holds a Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as director of communications for Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. In her spare time, she enjoys playing hammered and mountain dulcimer, knitting, herb gardening, creative writing, movies, shopping and taking long walks with her yellow labrador retriever, Tommy. To contact Kimberly, send e-mail to: unitycommunity@hotmail.com. Copyright (c) 2002 Kimberly Morrow |
||
|
|
|
