All aspects of human life have the power to sanctify and be sanctified. If we fail to embrace the pains and losses along with the joys and gains we are less human. The reality of time and history, both the limits and the liberties, must be embraced if we are to make any difference. Only those who dare to remember the past have the power to change the present. They are like Whitman's letters from God.
Every place is littered with holiness.
It's up to us to free ourselves from within to receive it. Sight or sound or smell can open the door to the past. Such moments are precious for the relentless course of time. Returning allows us to gain perspective. When we reflect on where we've been and where we're going, we return to fundamental understandings.