Doors Quote by Deborah Keenan
“My son called to me that God was inside his red fire engine. He wanted to show me. I did move as fast as I could, spilling like water through the kitchen door into a summer day, but God had left by the time I got there. My son smiled, told me I'd missed him by seconds.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Untitled, Deborah Keenan, 1990s
A child's vivid imagination of divine presence is fleeting, and adult urgency fails to capture it, highlighting the gap between innocence and adult preoccupation.
In simple terms: A child saw God in a fire engine; the adult missed it.
Key Takeaway
Cherish moments of wonder before they slip away.
Themes
innocence
spirituality
urgency
missed moments
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
poetic
spiritual
When to use this quote
- family interaction
- spiritual reflection
- parental awareness
Key Concepts
imagination
divine presence
time perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How often do we overlook simple miracles?
- What can we learn from a child's view of the sacred?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may over‑literalize a child's play, limiting broader interpretation.
