I’m not really sure how I missed the beauty in this world. Maybe it was the busy-ness of having and raising five anxious, emotional daughters while my husband provided for us as an over-the-road truck driver. We always planted a garden and bottled the fruit from our bug infested trees. We took camping trips each year and did lot’s of activities outdoors as a family when my husband was home. But somehow I missed really seeing the beauty around me. It wasn’t until I was much older that I really began to notice and appreciate God’s creations.
Well one day my path crossed with a woman. I will call her ‘Joy’. I was at a point in my life of really needing someone. My husband had passed away and the hardships in my life had pulled me down to the level of despair. Deep, dark, despair! ‘Joy’ was always there when I needed her. We walked and we talked, and in between our words she noticed the beauty around us. She pointed out different thing’s that caught her eye. Things that I was blind to. And then she would call me and say, “hurry and look out your window, there’s a rainbow.” Or she would say, “come over and see this swallowtail or this hummingbird.” Each time I went over she pointed to different flowers and trees with complete enthusiasm.
One day ‘Joy‘ and I went for a drive and she took me to a place where there were hundred’s of beautiful iris in every color imaginable. At Christmas time she took me to a nursery that was filled with vibrant red poinsettias. At first I thought, “How could anyone be so excited about nature.” But as time went on my enthusiasm and appreciation for the beautiful world we live in grew, and with it came a newfound tranquility that I had never experienced.
Eventually I bought a nice camera and started taking pictures. I grew to love not only what I was seeing but I also grew to love those quiet moments with just me and the world of nature. Those moments helped to lift me from my despair and photography became one of my favorite hobbies.
If you don’t already….. I would encourage you to soak in the beauty of God’s creations. Take a deeper look at the world around you which is glorious and beautiful! I believe that Nature is one of the many evidences that our Father in Heaven truly loves his children! (Comments are welcome at ctr75@comcast.net or on Facebook.)