[F]or a child all time is by and large now time and apparently endless … It is by its content rather than its duration that a child knows time, by its quality rather than its quantity—happy times and sad times. … Childhood’s time is Adam and Eve’s time before they left the garden for good. (9–10)

With this phenomenological meditation on time, Frederick Buechner begins a memoir of his early childhood—that which occurred “once below a time” (9).

It was tragedy—his Father’s suicide—that led to his exit from the garden into cause-and-effect time. Buechner wrestles with the shape of life and how God’s designs interpenetrate our own. The darkness and light, confusion and clarity, lead to one powerful conclusion: “Never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders” (112). Amen.

You don’t have to be a fan of Buechner to benefit from this brief meditation. Buechner’s analysis of his own childhood invites readers to consider how their own early life formed them. Think of this as the literary equivalent of a spiritual retreat.

Buechner, Frederick. The Sacred Journey: A Memoir of Early Days. HarperSanFrancisco, 1982.