Most of our life experience goes by unnoticed. Sooner or later, however, something happens that causes us to become more aware of our experience. A vista of incredible beauty, the sound of exquisitely delicate music, the embrace of a small child, intense physical pain, these experiences and countless others like them invite us to reflect. They enter our lives in small ways, like receiving an unexpected thank-you note, or in massive ways, by coming home and finding our house burning. These experiences disrupt the taken-for-granted measure of our existence. They lead us to confront the question of meaning in our lives.
— Patricia O'Connell Killen, John de Beer, The Art of Theological Reflection