It's all about the light

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Without light we don't have photography, and the image of the magnolia leaves wouldn't exist if my camera had not functioned so that the shutter opened and allowed the light to pass through the lens which focused it on the sensor which recorded the information -- or simply, if I had forgotten to remove the lens cap. But even if I and the camera had functioned correctly but the light had not been there, there would be no image of the leaves.
The light outside changes constantly, and the way we see things is affected greatly by the amount of light and the color of the light. I remember walking around the grounds of the Hermitage on the afternoon when I took this photograph, looking at all the unfamiliar sights, taking in everything and making decisions about what I wanted to shoot. I was in a hurry because I had gotten there just before sunset and the light was changing quickly. As the red light waves from the sun became more intense, so did the colors of everything around me. I was walking by the magnolia tree when I looked up and was struck by how the brown undersides of the leaves had taken on this beautiful amber glow, and how blue the sky looked as it peeked through the branches of the tree, reflecting on the shiny dark green side of the leaves. There were places on the leaves that looked like they had been painted with splashes of color, reds, oranges and blues. I've seen this happen in water before but had never really noticed it in a setting like this. It had become a beautiful abstract painting right before my eyes -- and all because of the light, both direct light and reflected light.
At this point the romantic in me wants to come up with some profound spiritual analogy about how God is light, and so on and so forth.
But the practical side of me just wants to thank God for the light, just enjoy the fact that we have it and I have eyes to see it. 

None of us is promised tomorrow. Today, in all its beauty, is all we have.

I'm not sure who the author of that quote is, but I was moved to deep thought by it today. We've probably all, at one time or another, heard something like it. The Proverb says, "do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." A stern warning not to take anything for granted -- life is fragile and uncertain.
However, I particularly appreciate the second part of this newfound quote, because of that prepositional phrase stuck in there between "Today" and "is all we have" -- "in all its beauty." It stood out to me as a blunt reminder that I let so many days go by without seeing the beauty they hold, living a joyless, survival-mentality-type of existence. Then I think on my past entries to this blog and find a recurring theme -- stop and smell the roses.
Hmmm.....
The photograph in this entry was taken this spring in a park where my children and I had met some friends one day for a trail walk and a picnic. The trees were freshly clothed in their new spring-green garb, and the critters (including masses of gnats) were not scarce. It was, after all, that time of year, you know (coming out of hibernation, hungry, looking for love...).
Anyway, I was especially delighted by the presence of several Eastern bluebirds that came close enough to get a good shot of one of them. They are shy birds, and for one to stay put in one place long enough to shoot several frames is a rare opportunity that I relish with delight. The tree's new growth was bright green and delicate, and though it deserved attention all its own, it made a fine backdrop for the photograph of the bluebird.
The Eastern Bluebird was my favorite bird all through my growing up years and remains so to this day. Who could resist the bright blue flash as it flies from tree to ground and back again while gathering the next meal? I've watched them for so many years that I can spot them just from their silhouette as they sit on a tree limb or fence post. I have learned to rejoice in that kind of beauty when I come across it in a day.
But there are so many other beautiful treasures and small graces in each day that I miss, or do not see the value in them. I'm too busy getting through the day so that I can get to tomorrow's agenda, all the while overlooking the beauty in a moment with one of my children, or the way God has orchestrated the day just perfectly with so much that is good and beautiful thrown in. There is so much I miss as I grumble my way along the path of this journey, always thinking that there must be something better or more important just over the next rise.
Father God, plant the truth deep in my heart that today, in all its beauty, is all I have, and I should rejoice and be glad in it.