Moment of TRANSCENDENCE in your life

The focus of your memoir will be on a moment of TRANSCENDENCE in your life.

What does that mean, exactly?

We sometimes hear or read the word in the context of spirituality, or religion. In the Catholic Dictionary, on Catholic Reference.net, you may read, “Only God is absolutely transcendent in being because he alone is infinite and perfect…” When we use the word “transcend” for human efforts, we mean “to go beyond, or to surpass mere excellence.”

Some athletes talk about the transcendent nature of being “in the zone,” where their bodies and the air and the sport become one, and normal motion seems to fall away. Writers, artists, actors, dancers, and singers talk about similar experiences, as do new fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers when they hold a brand new baby. Some people feel themselves “transported to another realm” when they see stars in a deep black desert sky, or a sunrise on a placid lake. Others feel a rush of transcendence in the midst of studying, figuring things out; or meditating in a chapel, or lending needed assistance to a neighbor or a friend.

Your assignment is to write a memoir of approximately 500-600 words about a transcendent experience, using specific description and clarity. Be sure that your reflection is written for an audience, and has a lesson (perhaps the one you took from the experience) for the reader that connects with your experience.