i can see all the world tonight

it's 12:15; we came together from all directions. we stood around a puddle in a circle and looked at our reflections as everyone arrived-- left. right. left. back. front. around. we made out each other's silhouettes and waved from the other side of the grotto in the dark. the minutes ticked and then there we were, all together.

"let's go," we whispered.

and so we walked towards the candles, slowly and deliberately, as one only walks in the grotto. it overflowed with candles-- light poured from all directions, spilling onto the ground. we handed each other new ones and lit them alone. the flickering of the candles lit up our faces for seconds at a time, and it was like seeing a new person with every new burst of light.

and then, we knelt. the hard wood is always a little cold and always hurts my knees a little, but it never matters-- i always forget after a minute or two. we closed our eyes, or we opened them; we looked around, or our gaze stayed rooted on one spot. i don't know what we each were thinking, or what we each were praying, but there we were: all in a row, all there together.

(every day here, every minute gives a new meaning to "together.")

and then, we stood, walked to the back, one by one. never rushing, always slow-- as things always are in the grotto. we held hands in a circle and prayed out loud, and as our voices mingled in the cool night air i realized that it was the first time we had all prayed out loud together. and then we all hugged; some of us cried, some of us comforted. either way, there was something in the air that made my heart feel fit to burst-- i guess this is when i remember why i came here.

"where else can we do this?" someone asked. nobody knew the answer. i guess we never realize how lucky we are until nights like this. where else would we have been if we had not come here? who would we know? what would we do?

on a sunday night, april 21, at 12:25, i realized something: i never would have known it and i never could have guessed it, but for me, it could never have been anywhere else but here.