I am not an Atheist

I am not an atheist because life seems to me to be a gift, and gifts suggest a giver.

I am not an atheist because the ability to love seems to me to come from some bigger place than the sheer exercise of our wills.

I am not an atheist because, in the silence, I encounter a space so generous that it feels like a presence.

I am not an atheist because it seems to me that our lives do not pass by unwitnessed.

I am not an atheist because something makes it possible to start again when we get it wrong.

I am not an atheist because there are times when it seems that everything joins together.

I am not an atheist because I can see no other earthly use for beauty and joy.