One of The Greatest Moments in History

It was sunset on August 26th.  A blazing blush-colored hue emanated from sea to sky, painting the horizon in a supernatural light.  I breathed in the moment, smelling the salient sea air, tasting the sharp, salty breeze on my tongue, listening to the distant call of the seagulls as they sailed gracefully like angels on the wind.  I thought about my friends and family back east bracing for a mega-storm and whispered silent prayers for mercy out into the Universe.  From my mouth to God's Ears.... From my heart to God's Heart....

Turning around, I glanced through the screen door and noticed my youngest Angel Daughter sitting on the bed in her room doing whatever it is that 17 year olds do on a quiet Friday evening when all of their friends are "busy".  I wondered if she just had a need to feel anchored to home, her restless spirit usually so quick to wander from here.  Feeling the consummate pull of 18 looming just around the corner, 17 year olds tend to have an unconventional "push me, pull me" attitude about home, wanting to go, but needing everything to stay just as it should be, even though....

At seventeen I learned the truth...

So I called to her, this child of mine.  I told her that she was missing one of the greatest moments in history!  I told her to put down her phone and to come outside.  "Hurry, hurry!"  I called.  "You are missing it!"  Slowly, she diverted her eyes from the various screens flickering below her and looked up at me with those eyes.  "Come", I said, and with a typical 17 year old swagger, she made her way out the screen door.  I did not have to tell her to look because it was all around her.  Cotton-candy colored clouds mirrored back onto themselves by the ocean sparkling below.

She didn't say anything at first.  She just pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and snapped a quick picture of the horizon.  "Beautiful, Momma", she said.  "Yes honey, yes it is.  Yes, you are."

We locked eyes like only one can do with someone who knows them on a level so intimately that they can almost read each other's  feelings.  I stood beside her, my breath slowly taking on the rhythm of hers.    We stood there for a while, just staring, just taking it all into our hearts.  And it went through my mind, this is one of the greatest moments in history.

The Slice In-Between

In the midst of doing some household chores down at our beach house, a couple of days ago, something called my attention to the window. The day had been rather cool and grey and dreary, which to me is lovely beach weather. However, when I looked outside, something unexpectedly caught my attention. It was around six-thirty in the evening. The ocean was calm and flat. And peaking through on the horizon was a slice of orange-red sky highlighting the outline of Catalina Island. Wispy white puffs of cloud floated effortlessly throughout the skyline.

I reached for my camera, as I so often do, and a sliver of sun made its way out from underneath the dark cloak of ominous clouds which created a thick blanket of darkness across the heavens.

As I observed the transition between day and night and momentary day, once again, I realized that what I was witnessing was a segment between heaven and earth. Ocean and sky. And I stood in awe of the scene which was surrounding me.
For a moment, I had the distinct feeling that I was a small piece of it all. A fragment of something that mattered in the scene which was unfolding before me. That I, with my feet planted firmly on the earth, but with the wings of my soul struggling madly to reach up into the heavens, live on a slice somewhere in-between.

May you find your place in the "in-between" and know that it is exactly where you belong. May you take notice of your own slices of earth and sky, day and night, heaven and here. And may you nurture the feeling that you are a part of it all, and that for now, heaven is here.

Sky Paintings 2/ You're Beautiful, Yes You Are

                                   *San Clemente sunset, January 11, 2009

I am ever fascinated by the absolute fragility as well as the transitional properties of nature.  It seems that the world itself, is one giant canvas on which the most magnificent images are created, day after day, night sky after night sky.  Yet there are times when life becomes so overrun by the minutia, that we forget to pause, to stop whatever is seemingly so important at the time, to take in the gifts which are so freely bestowed upon us.  We forget that each sunset is one that we will never have the chance to witness again.  Each sky painting, each ocean wave, each reflection in a pond, is only a fleeting work of art and unless we pay attention, we will lose the opportunity to study its momentary beauty forever.

                                   *Dana Point, California

As time passes, I find that I am becoming much more aware of how quickly things can change.  I am much more in touch with the fact that I will only have a certain number of sunsets to take in, or cloud pantings to interpret, or smiles to trade.  I know that each one is unique, and I know that I want to absorb as much of God's goodness as I can, while I am still here.

                                   *sunset over Catalina Island

Therefore, I look for the colors.  I allow myself to feel the emotions that each natural work of art evokes.  I stand in awe of how enormous the Pacific Ocean truly is and how expansive the sky above it spans.  I breathe.  I breathe in the salty, sweet-smokey aroma of bonfires at dusk and the mild, maritime breezes during the day.  I listen.  I walk quietly along the shoreline, taking in the rhythm of the waves, the laughter of children as they dodge in and out of the surf, and the call of the seagulls as they cry out for food.

                                   *sunset over the Pacific Ocean

Basking in the solitude of a private moment is part of what we are meant to do while we are here.  No matter how difficult or overwhelming things sometimes get, we should never forget about the things which can move us to the brink of tears.  The perspectives that can break our hearts open.  The artistry of nature that reminds us that we are not alone.  Never alone.

                                   *Catalina Island from San Clemente, California

And although there are times when we must go searching in order to find the beauty beyond the chaos, it is always available.  It is always worth the effort.  And sometimes, it is just beyond the fringe of all the craziness, waiting for us to notice that it was always there in the first place.

                                   *San Clemente Pier, January 12, 2009

The scenes might change, the colors may transition from red to orange to yellow to blue, but allowing yourself to witness, really witness them, now that is a gift that you can always accept freely.  And it is a gift that you can always give to yourself.

Notice the things that speak to your soul.  Take in as much radiance as you can find along the journey.  Allow the artwork of the Universe to merge with your own spirit.  And remind yourself, as often as you possibly can, that you, too, are an intricate part of the beauty.

Absolutes

Stopping to capture a moment in time is something that we often forget to do.  When I was taken off guard by this magical sunset tonight, it sparked a sudden thought.  I need to take the time to capture more moments like this one.  More ordinary, extraordinary moments that can never be relived.  

A thought crossed my mind today which sparked this set of pictures.  The only absolutes in life are that there are, truly, no absolutes.

When you read this and look at these photos, I want you to know that I could not let another moment pass without letting you know how extraordinary you have been to me.  My heart is fuller because of you.

May you take a moment to notice something that might not have caught your immediate attention today.  May you record it in your memory and share it with someone you care about.