Greater courage

senk 2013

Fronds in the undergrowth of a forest often look like satin apparel. Smooth and shimmering an iridescence of greens, nature's natural style surpasses anything simmering in man's mind. And yet, I wonder if from a bug's perspective, the landscape would appear as Christo and Jeanne-Claude's artwork. Their soft plumes of cloth, sometimes organic, sometimes repetitive gave perspective like the petals, leaves, and berries of nature's silver limbs, stretching as strings or stilts upon which to weave an ephemeral structure.

Christo once commented to critics: "I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain." And so, too, is it so in nature. In some parts of the world, seasonal rains bring a flourish of flowers that last only a matter of moments when compared to the year (or years) that fall between the lush display. In other parts of the world, the seasons flip through changes in the landscape so that the soul seems to yearn for fluttering green leaves in winter and for the drip of crystalline icicles in summer's strangling smolder.

And, this is so, too, friend, for those beautiful moments in life. When I consider encouraging words, heartfelt expressions, the splendor of happy events, the delicate joy of a child's trusting smile - of all those moments that exude a beauty that bursts into fireworks and is gone - I am reminded of the great courage it takes to recognize and savor those moments, and so, too, to let them go - not with a dismal outlook or regret, but with an inner joy that holds steady.

I wish this for you, friend. May an inner joy carry you from season to season and allow you to savor opportunities, when they do occur, where beauty cannot be bottled up.

Strawberry blossoms

Strawberry blossoms. senk 2013

Strawberry blossoms still linger on the plants near the kids' sand and water table. Most of them are now small ecru-ish green fruits that seem to double in size every time I look at them. And several are blushing under the sun's attentions.

As I dream of strawberry waffles or berry-filled crepes with a sifting of soft sugar, I also consider the aesthetic enjoyment I have had from my plants. So often, we are so focused on the final form or the most emblematic purpose of something, that we forget to look for a spot to sit and simply enjoy the process of "becoming." Now, I'm not talking about sexual beauty. Hollywood and media focus so much on that, it really is quite degrading. In American culture, we too often forget there is a beauty beyond youthful splendor and vigor. There is a beauty that drenches the soul and resonates with those heartfelt realities - like the scintillating laugh of a tickled toddler or the purr-like reflex mumbled while nibbling a well-made meal or the plump tears that tread trails of empathetic emotion from face to face during those numbing life events.

Do you recognize those moments, friend? They're the ones tucked in your memory - maybe swept aside, but not forgotten when we really stop and think. Often, they are jumbled amid the routine of day and tossed here-and-there by time's torrential progression... which makes stopping along the way to savor life's beautiful presence so much more important.

So, friend, find a bench or a stoop or a cozy spot of grass, and savor unrealized moments in your daily life that God has woven there. Dare to really look into the eye of a stranger and proffer a radiant smile; think compassionately before you speak; stifle your own fears and invite someone to walk more slowly and more intentionally with you today. You'll be thankful for the spirit-filled fruits that develop, and so will others.

Spring silhouettes

Silhouette of spring's new fronds.  senk 2013

Mountains, purpled from Winter's frosty touch, now slip root first into woolen frocks that exude Spring. Silvery limbs catch webs of new leaves, which dip and flutter as the breeze pulsates. Spring silhouettes everything - a transformation that runs as deep as soul.

I find myself longing to be drenched in light, too. Like candlelight dribbled for my own shadow portrait, Spring seems to soften features that are glaring in the mirror. But, I want the light to shine deeper, yet. I long to swallow it up so that even my Jonah persona has light by which to see.

Yes, when Spring really arrives, I long to slough off that part of me that's sea-beaten and drearied, apathetic and just tired. Does this resonate with you, friend? Are there times when the molting process seems like a great idea for starting afresh?

And yet, God does proffer that for us. A joy, seasoned but still soul-deep, really does exist - not one centered on lifestyle, but on relationship. When we open our hearts to the only one that is ever there for us, we're buoyed by something greater than ourselves. Something that the seasons seem to know intimately.

Vibrant relationship

The direct rays of morning light enhanced the patina of the back-porch post. Atop the post, a female cardinal perched. She seemed to be enjoying the view: small, newly-emerging leaves scintillated on silver trunks to one side; to another, a constant expanse of blue mountains supported a cloudless dome. Nearby tiny white blossoms bristled along a spirea's shoots; grass tufted into mounds, which wild violets, dandelions, and hyacinths meliorated.

Unexpectedly, the cardinal's vibrant red mate came and fluttered just below her perched position. For a split second, their beaks touched as she took the offered insect. Then, he darted off as she gobbled up the treat.

Such perceived tenderness is rarer in nature (and human nature) than we would like to admit. Does such a scene evoke as much sentiment in you, friend? Do you hunger for that kind of deep relationship in your life?

In our cultures, we often try to fill such a yearning with empty and unfulfilling promises. We put too much on a mate, a friend, or even on ourselves. There is only one relationship we can foster that compares to such selfless love. Will you consider how God is wooing you?

Merriment and awe

Hiking trail marker.  2013 senk

Pyramidally-shaped spruce trees stand in their verdant regalia along a hiking trail that meanders near a campground of Shenandoah National Park. Nearby deer rest or graze while flicking their tails as blithely as country drivers do their waving hands. While I savor the texture of bark upon tree varieties, the warm compression of sun on my face mingled with cool brushes from mountain breezes, and the melody of nature's unsupervised symphony, Joey rollicks.

"Ah! There's another one!" says he, spying a slash of powder-blue paint upon a silvery trunk. This manmade stand-out reminds me that we are, indeed, on the right track - even if my mind has wandered.

Friend, do you find moments when something in your purview (whether a person or an event or a symbol) draws your attention back to your purpose?  Perhaps they're those eureka moments when you, too, think Aha! Or, instead, maybe they're more panicky realizations that your hydra-esque schedule needs pruning. Regardless, may your day bring opportunity to focus on that which seeps inspired meaning to your life. May you turn from task to task with merriment and awe.

Reflected hope

Reflections are amazing. Earlier this year, polished granite provided a reflection of my now-5-year-old Joey that sent my mind into contemplative motion. But, to set the stage: imagine a slight breeze - cool enough for a jacket, yet not enough for knocking knees and shivering shoulders - while you watch the gentle roll of water as if in a streaming aqueduct. At one end there is a fountain, at the other a rectangular pool, and in between long runs of channeling that cascade down a slope. The natural tendency for anyone near a pool of water - and especially a cascading pool of water - is to find something that can navigate the very water you admire. 

Reflection near cascades.  senk 2013

Cascading fountain.  senk 2013

And so too, did Joey. He snatched a leaf or two blown from seemingly nowhere, but that had landed on the stone steps near at hand, and happily tossed them to their fate upon the surface of the water. Three or four drops awaited these nature-made boats as they slowly descended to the final pool.  The slopes were so slight, that one run took more than 10 minutes. And yet, Joey stood stalwart and watched the delicate leaves take plunge after plunge. Each time they reemerged, an act for which Joey harbored hope.

Joey's leaf afloat upon the water.  senk 2013

And is it not so, too, for us, friend? Even in the most stressing and trying of situations, do not we wait and harbor hope - longing to see that reemergence of something that cannot be beaten or stifled? Something that exudes beauty and truth and passion for life-giving opportunities.

So, even when the immediate seems longer than a dark corridor and as uncertain, too, remember the reflection of a little boy watching a loved leaf as it navigates churning water. And, harbor hope, too.

Recreating the serene

Pond at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. senk 2012.

Joey has recreated a water garden in the living room. Plump pillows serve as stepping stones, which meander in a circular path about the house. Grandma's no-sew blankets are now moveable boats, gliding about the non-rippling, wood-laminate pond. Little plastic fish - blue and red, yellow and green - having been tossed to-and-fro by my fisher-boys, inhabit the pond's depths. And the air is full of giggling and singing, instead of the smooth whisper of water.

"Look! Water lilies," says Joey. And, I imagine the water gardens and fountains at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA or the little lake teeming with water lilies at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA. The inspiring flora and landscapes in these gardens creates the kind of serene atmosphere of which we all need more exposure.

Are there places that impress upon your heart, too, friend? Perhaps an art museum or unique boutique or coffee shop that exudes life's essence for you? Or rather a moment deep in the woods or atop a hill's crest or by a cascading rill? There is also that serene moment between people: a shared experience, a returned smile, words from the heart shared and received. Have you had that today, friend?

If not, take a moment to recreate the serene. Let pillows plop where they will and hoist off into blanket boats - all for the sake of life.