2025: Wonder: a Virtue

If I could describe one central theme and aspiration of my life thus far, it would be wonder. A preliminary disclaimer – I do not consider this a surpassing of my call to sanctity, but rather a necessary instrument towards sainthood. Wonder is not just shallow curiosity – wonder is a full-person immersion in the grandeur of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty made present in His creation. Wonder naturally leads to humility, which leads to profound gratitude, which in turn leads to an ever-deeper knowledge of what it means to love like Christ. 

The Island of Raguenez, Henry Moret, 1895 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Public domain.

This coastal landscape captures the rugged, pristine beauty of Brittany, fusing the brilliant palette of Impressionism with the bold structures of Post-Impressionism. A close associate of Paul Gauguin, Moret uses dynamic, brisk brushstrokes to render an elevated view of a thatched cottage set against sweeping fields and rolling dunes. The composition transforms the untamed Atlantic coast into a timeless, enduring scene of rural tranquility. 

Wonder, therefore, is radically transformative.

If it had not been for my lifelong homeschool formation, I do not believe I would have the same level of appreciation for this beautiful virtue. From the very beginning, my mother has done an incredible job of ensuring that our innocence be protected, our access to good literature be limitless, and our love for the outdoors be always strongly encouraged. These few and simple parts of my childhood are necessary ingredients for a tendency towards wonder. Furthermore, homeschooling has provided countless hours of free time in which I was able to create. Art is not only a result of wonder; it is a revelation of it and an invitation to grow ever deeper in this virtue.

Wonder, although childlike, does not end with childhood. This very summer – my first as I leave the home and homeschooling behind! – will be spent entirely outdoors, in the mountains. I will be working with children as a nanny at Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic adventure camp nestled in the Rocky Mountains. This opportunity is extraordinary; after all, how often is one able to sleep under the stars in a hammock for eleven weeks, to be disconnected from hurriedness and technology, and to live simply by the necessity of light packing? 

However, I do not believe the wonder I will be growing in to be exclusive to life on a mountain. Everyone is able to marvel at what is Created, even if it is as tamed as minute wildflowers growing in one’s front lawn! After this summer, I will be continuing to work towards my Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, a discipline of study that would not exist without wonder at the shared genius of our literary intellectual tradition. 

Most of all, I hope to find wonder in the everyday. 

Each little moment is as equally a gift as the grand, awesome ones that I treasure!