At BYU, there are speakers who present weekly devotionals at the Marriott Center.  I have tried to attend as many as possible, but have missed my fair share as well.  A few weeks ago I was intrigued by a speaker who had come from another school, was not a Mormon, and was a poet.  So I went to the devotional…

Dr. Marilyn Chandler McEntyre spoke about “The Beholden Eye”.   Her message was delivered as she shared her poetry, which describes paintings of Vermeer's women and religious paintings by Rembrandt.  I listened to her speech and it made me reflect:  How do I view the everyday situations that I am able to participate in?  Do I see situations fully; do I take opportunities to reflect?

Dr. McEntyre saw poetry as an opportunity for reflection and prayer.  Despite the challenges of the MBA program, I find opportunities at BYU, moments of stillness for quiet reflection and prayer.

After seven years of working everyday my ability to see things in a new light had diminished.  One of the great blessings for me of being here at school, on this campus, is the opportunity to behold ideas, art, and the beauty that surrounds.  Beholding is to deeply reflect upon what the situation, art, or speech, is inviting, requiring, what it allows and disallows.  Beholding allows insight into self which enriches relationships now and in the future.

For more about Dr. Marilyn Chandler McEntyre visit: http://www.westmont.edu/_academics/pages/departments/english/Pages/mcentyre.html