“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” — Buddha

Shortly after giving birth to my son, an elderly neighbor came to my home to wish me well. She brought a loaf of homemade bread. While looking down at my son she said, “They say miracles never happen, but they happen every day.” I’ve never forgotten her profound observation.

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary event manifesting some sort of godlike intervention in human affairs. When you experience one you never forget it. It’s a moment when the distance between you and the larger universe is shortened. Your inner life is touched. You are left wondering why was I a recipient of this miracle, what does it mean, who made this miracle happen, and what can I do to tap into more?

I like to classify miracles into two categories: daily miracles and personal miracles. Daily miracles, as profound and powerful as they are, often go unnoticed — an intoxicating sunrise, a gentle breeze on a hot day, the expansive sky, a beating heart, the undeserved love of a good friend. When we open our eyes to daily miracles, life gets better, even if only for an instant.

I have many memories of everyday, nature-based miracles touching my soul. I hiked Zions Narrows with my father and felt it there. I feel it when I walk my dog in the park at night during a light snowstorm. Something about the contrast between the white ground, covered in snow, and the dark, starlit sky awakens my senses.

I also have a strange connection to miracles when I ski. The sensation of sliding down a steep slope, while overlooking jagged and powerful mountains, lifts my soul and takes me to another place. I become a new person. I am renewed and I feel the intervention of something larger than myself.

I have a close friend who is a beekeeper. She tells me when you observe the remarkable life of bees you develop a profound realization that humans are not in charge. Something much larger is happening. Bees are not bugs; they are miracles in action.

Daily miracles are important because you can access them at any time. You just have to open your eyes and give your soul space to believe.

The second type of miracle is much more intimate and rare. Personal miracles tend to happen for an important reason — to comfort and rescue a needy heart. They typically occur in times of sickness or a major life struggle. Sometimes they seem like a powerful coincidence. But for the believing heart they are received in the spirit of complete humility from a loving maker.

There are places where personal miracles are concentrated. The halls and quiet corners of Primary Children’s Hospital are a good example. I think the powers of the universe keep an open line of communication with the parents of sick children.

Personal miracles also abound in the rooms of parents and grandparents as they begin the process of passing on to the next life. Here, in these hallowed places, the connection between this life and the next becomes very thin. Impressions are felt. Guidance is received. Miracles happen.

Occasionally, personal miracles hit you like a lightning bolt. You know that what just happened came from an almost magical karma or powerful creator just for you. You have been given the gift of expanded inner sight and can now see more clearly. Everything changes. You are a different human being.

Einstein once said there are two ways to live our lives …one as though nothing is a miracle and the other as if everything is a miracle. When we choose the former we miss out on a source of direction, joy and comfort. When we chose the latter, we recognize we are never alone in this life and are given extra strength to carry on.