FWIW The musings of a webmaster Sunday 15 July 2007 What's this?

 

Fleeting yet eternal

 

We all have them, these moments.  They are hard to define, yet easy to identify.

 

I started thinking about such moments a few weeks ago, without being able to put a name to them. I was travelling between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth on the Wightlink ferry. The boat was not crowded, and I was able to sit right at the front looking down at the prow of the boat.  Suddenly something caught the corner of my eye. Focussing more carefully I saw that we were being guided towards Portsmouth by several dolphins, leaping from the waves in perfect arcs and easily keeping pace with the ferry. I defy anyone to watch the effortless play of wild dolphins and not be "surprised by joy" as C. S. Lewis put it. I watched for about half a minute, then the Captain came on the P.A. system to tell passengers about the dolphins and where to look to see them.  A crowd of people materialised around me, eager to catch a glimpse, but by that time the dolphins had gone away. For me, however, it was a precious image.

 

"Fleeting yet eternal."

 

Those, I decided, were the words I was searching for to describe the experience, but I only found them several weeks later when I was reading a book called "Reasonable Doubt" by Italian crime writer Gianrico Carofiglio. In it he describes an experience as "like the way you feel when you leave home early in the morning and there's nobody about. When you sit down in a bar near the sea, have your coffee and wait, and the streets gradually fill and you're very aware of everything and you feel as if you're part of something fleeting yet eternal".

 

I think it's a wonderful phrase, and I began to think about other fleeting yet eternal moments.

• A Sunday morning, driving Katharine to the church retreat at Lee Abbey. We round a bend at the top of Porlock Hill and a magnificent stag stands in the middle of the road.  He is there just for an instant before leaping over the hedge, but the after-image remains on my retina.

• A Saturday night in Salisbury. Katharine and I are walking around the cathedral which is floodlit, and which appears to float, almost ethereal, in the surrounding darkness.  Someone is rehearsing tomorrow's organ voluntary inside and, unexpectedly, in the middle distance spectacular fireworks appear.

• Downtown Manhattan, 1993. We have been watching Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in "Sleepless in Seattle", the 'big' movie of the moment in the U.S. Emerging from the 'theatre' we realise that we are just around the corner from the Empire State Building. We ride to the top, and walk out to see all of New York illuminated at our feet, the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Breathtaking.

These are moments of pure gift. They are never planned. They are the result of the confluence of time, place and the openness of a person to receive them. We do not earn them. They never last long, yet they are long remembered. They evoke joy, wonder and gratitude. They stir our souls.

 

The artwork above is used by kind permission of Dosia McKay, an artist and musician. The picture is called 'Blossom'. Produced on computer, for me her art captures the essence of this experience of something fleeting yet eternal. This feeling can also be captured in some music.  As Dosia writes: "Music is an inward cry, a wordless prayer, a hunger, a yearning for something outside of ourselves. It's a dream, an intangible reality, an invisible force entering through the ears and claiming the heart, it's a dance of the soul, it is faith calling to existence things fleeting, yet eternal". [Read more about Dosia McKay.]

 

These moments enrich us. Whatever their nature, wherever they take place, they lift our hearts and reconnect us to God through the wonder, joy and gratitude that we experience.

 

I would love to know about your "fleeting yet eternal" moments, or your thoughts about such moments.  If you would like to share your experiences or thoughts I would be delighted to publish them, anonymously if you wish, on our website.

 

Thank you, and blessings from all of us at St. Andrew's Church in Taunton UK.

 

Adrian

 

Webmaster

NOTE: I am the webmaster of St. Andrew's Church, not clergy or a reader.  I write as 'a man in a pew' so you should not assume that I necessarily know what I'm talking about, or that what I say reflects the views of other people in our church.

Dosia McKay - artist, composer and musician

Dosia McKay was born and raised in Poland during the last decades of communism. She writes: "I was drawn to various art forms since childhood and my formative years were spent studying classical music and flute performance. Early 1990s brought me to the United States and opened my eyes to the possibilities I have never considered before. I graduated with a degree in Computer Integrated Drafting and Design and for over 10 years have worked as a technical illustrator. My visual artwork is created digitally and manipulated utilizing various image processing software packages. The techniques of color application and texture are reminiscent of watercolor or oil painting. The detailing of the artwork is second to none, down to the canvas texture and paint strokes. Therefore my artwork does not have an artificial or a "computer feel". Rather, it is very organic, accessible, and engaging.

I create my pieces in a very intuitive and introspective way. I don't like to limit myself to any particular format, technique, or current trends in the world of art. The common denominator to all of my pieces is the capturing of a particular emotion or an idea, often summarized in the title of the piece. My abstract paintings tend to resonate with people's imagination and touch them on a personal level when they identify with the emotions portrayed in the paintings. They are personal "epiphanies". In addition to creating visual art, I also pursue music as a composer and a flutist." Dosia's website is stunning, and her pictures and music can be both enjoyed and purchased through the site.  Please visit: http://www.dosiamckay.com/

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