Low-Hanging Miracles

About five days ago, I went to look at the fruit on the cherry tree near Marywood Hall: it was greenish-white, with just a few orbs starting to blush slightly. Yesterday, I checked again and the tree is studded with red fruit—not quite ready to yield to a gentle tug, but soon to be ready for picking!

Miraculous events often happen very quickly. We can easily miss them if we aren’t vigilant and alert—if we don’t look for them because we aren’t expecting them. As Eden Phillpotts said, “The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” God gifts us in a myriad of ways, but if we instead expect to be visited with trials and judgment, we won’t see the generosity and creativity that surrounds us every day.

What’s so magical about cherries ripening, you might ask? It’s possible that the tree might never have matured had it been stunted by poor weather or insects when it was a sapling. It could have been felled by lightning, or the fruit might have been decimated by worms or devoured by birds. With different genes, the cherries might have been a sickly puce green instead of a vibrant red. No, this healthy tree with its lovely fruit is magical and a miracle—as is so much around us that is patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper, that is patiently waiting for us to have the wisdom to look, marvel, appreciate, and give thanks.