“Thin places,” the Celts call this space,
Both seen and unseen,
Where the door between the world 
And the next is cracked open for a moment
And the light is not all on the other side.
God shaped space. Holy. 
~Sharlande Sledge

In the Celtic Christian tradition there is the concept of a thin place…..a luminous experience in which one senses the veil between the earthly world, what can be seen and touched, and the eternal which is thin, permeable even. If you read Celtic authors at all, it won't be long until this concept creeps into the writing. It is most visible in our understanding of the 'great cloud of witnesses' and particularly in the scriptures you may hear if you show up at church over the next few Sundays. It is in these readings that we hear of the disciples' experience of the 'showings' of Jesus after his death and resurrection. This week, for instance, we read about Jesus appearing to the disciples when they are not having much luck in their chosen line of work…..fishing. After they see him, their nets are full to over flowing. It is a rich and fascinating story that has endless facets to discover.

This week I am having my own thin place experience. It has happened right around this time for the last few years. In our front yard stands a cherry bush, about four feet in height. Right now it is covered with delicate little pink blossoms. Like mostly every other blooming plant, it is a week or so ahead of schedule given the weather and early spring we've experienced. The bush was a gift from my dearest friends, my book club, to honor and remember my father who died on April 23rd several years ago. Since the bush's planting it has bloomed every year on and around the anniversary of his death and has provided me with an unexplainable experience of him. Since the first sighting of the blossoms, I have now watched and waited for another showing, another thin place, that allows the present and the eternal to meld. During these days I think of him more often, his sweet, gentle way much like the pink blossoms on the bush, and, of course, his love for cherry pie.

A couple of years ago I shared this story with my mother who told my brothers and they now also want to hear the progress of the cherry bush. " Is it blooming yet?" they will ask when they call. I will give an update on the status of the bush and we will all be pulled into the deep longing and symbolism this bush now represents. My mother has now shared the bush story with my eight-year-old nephew. Not long ago he asked if the bush would be blooming soon. He remarked that somehow "Poppy knows" about the bush. "I wish I could see the it." he said. The experience of the thin place has now been passed on to another generation.

The stories of Jesus' appearance to the disciples after his death carry so much….comfort, validation, affirmation, encouragement, hope, fulfillment. Over the years as these accounts have been retold, they have taken on deeper and richer meanings. Our post enlightenment minds ask questions about the 'truth' of the stories. Did he really appear or did they imagine it? Did their luck improve because they saw Jesus or was it just the movement of the under currents that brought the fish to the net? Or was their experience of the one they loved so full, so deep, so rich, that they were enveloped in the veil that exists between the worlds, a veil we cannot hope to understand but must accept as pure Mystery?

I am going for the Mystery. I am claiming the gift of not knowing. Whether it's fish stories or blooming bushes, I place my faith in the thin place that exists between what I cannot see and what I pray is present. I will continue to watch the cherry bush and feel the closeness I long for, the person I miss. And I will continue to tell the story just as the disciples did. 

It simply seems like the right thing to do.