--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d…" description: "\"“One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d sinned, no matter how, and in sin’s wake there came a kind of drowsy peace so deep I hadn’t even will enough ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/frederick-buechner-883_end-of-time_one-summer-day-i-lay-upon-the-grass-i-d_2993988.jpg" --- # One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d sinned, no matter… ![“One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d sinned, no matter how, and in sin’s wake there came a kind of drowsy peace so deep I hadn’t even will enough to loathe myself. I had no mind to pray. I scarcely had a mind at all, just eyes to see the greenwood overhead, just flesh to feel the sun. A light…” quote by Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/frederick-buechner-883_end-of-time_one-summer-day-i-lay-upon-the-grass-i-d_2993988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/frederick-buechner-883_end-of-time_one-summer-day-i-lay-upon-the-grass-i-d_2993988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/frederick-buechner-883_end-of-time_one-summer-day-i-lay-upon-the-grass-i-d_2993988.jpg) > ““One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d sinned, no matter how, and in sin’s wake there came a kind of drowsy peace so deep I hadn’t even will enough to loathe myself. I had no mind to pray. I scarcely had a mind at all, just eyes to see the greenwood overhead, just flesh to feel the sun. A light breeze blew from Wear that tossed the trees, and as I lay there watching them, they formed a face of shadows and of leaves. It was a man’s green, leafy face. He gazed at me from high above. And as the branches nodded in the air, he opened up his mouth to speak. No sound came from his lips, but by their shape I knew it was my name. His was the holiest face I ever saw. My very name turned holy on his tongue. If he had bade me rise and follow him to the end of time, I would have gone. If he had bade me die for him, I would have died. When I deserved it least, God gave me most. I think it was the Savior’s face itself I saw.”” [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A divine encounter in nature reveals the sacredness of self and the call to devotion, even in silence. **In simple terms:** Nature can reveal the holy within us. Key Takeaway Listen for quiet, sacred moments. Themes spirituality nature devotion Mood contemplative reverent Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - walking in nature - personal crisis - spiritual retreat Key Concepts theophany silence self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - What silent signs have you noticed? - How does nature affect your sense of the divine? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary; some may see it as metaphor, not literal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-time/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“His was the holiest face I ever saw. My very name turned holy on his tongue. 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I did not know if I’d deserved God’s grace or wrath, or what would become of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-wade/i-did-not-have-all-the-answers-i-did-not-know-if-i-d-deserved-god-s/) [Rachael Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-wade/) > [To be a Christian is to realize that in your sin, you were separated from God's presence, and you deserved nothing but God's wrath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/to-be-a-christian-is-to-realize-that-in-your-sin-you-were-separated/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [He who repents of having sinned is almost innocent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/he-who-repents-of-having-sinned-is-almost-innocent/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“the pair of us were inextricably linked together. We must have sinned against each other in a previous existence, so that each of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jia-pingwa/the-pair-of-us-were-inextricably-linked-together-we-must-have-sinned/) [Jia Pingwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jia-pingwa/) > [You can rake the muck this way, rake the muck that way-- it will always be muck. Have I sinned or have I not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/you-can-rake-the-muck-this-way-rake-the-muck-that-way-it-will-always/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [“Father forgive me for I have sinned. -Damian”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-tomasi/father-forgive-me-for-i-have-sinned-damian/) Peter J. Tomasi ## More by Frederick Buechner > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [At least to look back over their own lives, as I have looked back over mine, for certain themes and patterns and signals that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/at-least-to-look-back-over-their-own-lives-as-i-have-looked-back-over/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. 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Or she'd cover her mirth with her hands and shake till you'd think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/how-adewen-stuffed-her-braid-in-her-mouth-at-that-or-she-d-cover-her/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/resurrection-means-that-the-worst-thing-is-never-the-last-thing/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) [Explore all 339 Frederick Buechner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## More End of time quotes > [When an angel comes down and takes me away, memories of me and my songs will always stay until the end of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/when-an-angel-comes-down-and-takes-me-away-memories-of-me-and-my/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. 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These words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/i-love-you-no-matter-what-the-future-holds-for-us-i-will-love-you/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) [Browse all 311 End of time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One summer day I lay upon the grass. I’d sinned, no matter how, and in sin’s wake there came a kind of drowsy peace so deep I hadn’t even will enough to loathe myself. I had no mind to pray. I scarcely had a mind at all, just eyes to see the greenwood overhead, just flesh to feel the sun. A light breeze blew from Wear that tossed the trees, and as I lay there watching them, they formed a face of shadows and of leaves. It was a man’s green, leafy face. He gazed at me from high above. And as the branches nodded in the air, he opened up his mouth to speak. No sound came from his lips, but by their shape I knew it was my name. His was the holiest face I ever saw. My very name turned holy on his tongue. If he had bade me rise and follow him to the end of time, I would have gone. If he had bade me die for him, I would have died. When I deserved it least, God gave me most. 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