To the Class of 2020

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend, 

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Dear Class of 2020,

Oh my goodness, is it ever your time.  You came into the world under the cloud of the Twin Towers, and COVID-19 blew your senior year out of the water.  As if it needed an exclamation point, it all ended with tragedy, protests, and curfews.  A time for everything indeed.

You have made this a time for so many good things too:

    

To choose community as the best realization of self.

To envision a new reality.

To dance a new dance.

You've rejected pity in favor of resilience and innovation.  I want to thank you.  I know this wasn't your reality every day or in every moment.  But you are going to take these experiences with you, and we are all going to benefit from your insight and ability to be flexible for decades to come.  

Remember, there is a time for everything.  I'm wishing you faith and hope for a bright future that right now is uncertain--so you can embrace the possibilities of every today. Go forward with courage, graduates!  You might not hear us today, but we're cheering for you!!

Light

It's a question I ask myself often.

I love the way it helps me pay attention.

This week's answers have all been found in my yard.

Among the trees.

The light has shown me a lot of birds that seemed to be playing hide and seek with me.

Especially chickadees.

And also--all this amazing color.

Here's a little secret I've learned along the way:

One tiny little step in another direction gives you a whole new picture.

The pictures above and below have identical subjects in focus,

but I "painted" my background--

the out of focus portion of the photo known as bokeh (pronounced boca)--

 differently by varying my angle just a tiny bit.

This gives you a chance to select your color palette and the feel of your photo.

I did the same thing here. 

 I call this my popcorn tree because all these bright red little kernels

explode into fluffy white glory, and the smell they release is to die for.

One photo focusing on the colors of the tree...

and the same photo...

with some blue sky.

Of course the fans of pink are the real winners this week,
whether light or dark.



Until I saw all this soft evening light bouncing off of all my blooming trees,
I had never noticed that in the midst of all this pink
there was a whole glowing rainbow.

My neighbor observed me moving slowly about the yard with my camera.
She said she had seen a video I posted on my business page a while back
and said, "I really liked that thing you said about what the light wants to show you."
She actually recognized what I was doing.  So fun.

What does the light want to show you?