Annie Dillard: to see clearly

Springtime is a wonderful season for this reading by Annie Dillard (Devotional Classics, p.345). Dillard's year living alone on Tinker Creek in Virginia's Roanoke Valley yielded these reflections on the importance of seeing the world around us, unimpeded by our inner distractions.

Today, are you willing to take something mundane and see in it the extraordinary? Annie Dillard makes a good companion on this journey.

• What are the 'two ways of seeing'?
• Have you ever 'blurred' your eyes and seen a whole new world? What was that like?
• Annie Dillard speaks of 'the mind's muddy river'. What is her response to the 'flow of trivia and trash'?
• Reflect on the Gospel story told in Mark 8. Can you put yourself in the blind man's place?
  
• What might this reading inspire in you for the rest of this day?
  

Your comments on any of these questions are welcome. Or add any thoughts you like.

Hear Annie Dillard read from her recent book, The Maytrees
More Dillard links

Next week: Kathleen Norris: Finding Faith in the Mundane / Devotional Classics, p.363
This will be our last reading for the 2007/2008 academic year!