I felt the glow of divinity this morning as I scrubbed my son’s ankles and toes, as I ran the washcloth along his arms, over his back, his chest and belly. My heart beat with the primordial rhythm of life as I sang ancient verses and shaved my son’s stubbled checks. Some mornings it’s all rote- this showering, shaving and brushing of teeth routine. But others, like today, it flows like praying, like acts of honoring the divine.
What’s different on a day like this morning? It is the simple act of being truly present to the task at hand. Not being lost in thought. Not planning, judging or otherwise being somewhere other than with my son. When I am fully aware, I watch my hands perform these simple acts of caring for another human. And deep gratitude arises. Despite the challenges of living this life, I am aware of the privilege of experiencing selfless service.
These simple, mundane tasks of caring for another body can be at one moment a bane, yet at another, a doorway to divine expressions of compassion and care. In these moments I am enveloped in a feeling of aliveness that expands beyond myself. I'm aware of myself, my son and the movements of one person caring for another. And it’s all in harmony. It’s so beautiful, the relationship between us two. It’s the ‘we space,’ that relational space between the two of us, where the aliveness is felt.
I’ve heard it said that God exists in the space between things. Of course God is the things too, but as I care for my son’s body, I feel God most in the space between.