Wonder illuminates our childhood, and yet it dims for many as we grow (“all is seared with trade, bleared, smeared with toil,” as Gerard Manley Hopkins has it in his poem here). In this Spring 2022 issue of Parabola, architect Berni LaPlante writes of his mystical experience as a child, easily lost in an adult’s fog of doubt but to him a touchstone that was miraculously repeated as an adult. LaPlante is not alone. From the late and beloved poet Mary Oliver in her essay here, urging us to attend to the wonders around us, to actor/Zen master Peter Coyote recalling the transformative energies of the 1960s and beyond, to Wisdom teacher Cynthia Bourgeault on the marvels revealed by practical spiritual work, nearly every contributor offers inspiring and useful guidance on how to rekindle and maintain our sense of wonder.
