"The rainbow is more beautiful than the pot at the end of it, because the rainbow is NOW. The pot comes later and never turns out to be quite what you expect" writes Hugh Prather. Yes, we need to enjoy the little miracles we see everyday. The other day my friend Stacy and I were out for a walk, and she related a story to me about a wallet she found. She saw the checkbook inside so was able to look up the phone number of the lady who had lost it. The woman asked her if she had seen the purse that contained the wallet because the purse was a very expensive designer bag. When Stacy told her that she hadn't seen the purse, the woman wasn't concerned at all about the checks and just asked Stacy to shred them. It was all about the expensive designer purse, not what was inside. This story reminded me of the value we sometimes place on material things. We strive after money, possessions, food, power, recognition, alcohol, drugs, a special someone.....anything that will fill the void so we can feel better about ourselves, more complete, when in actuality, the only thing that can fill the void is the peace of God inside us.
Where do I find that peace? I think it is found in the little things like awareness of this NOW moment....the rainbow after the storm, the birds singing outside my window, the beautiful green grass and trees, and the explosion of color from the flowers this time of year. John Denver sings a song, "Sunshine of My Shoulders" in which he tells of the of the beauty of the sunshine on the water.
We let our lives get so complicated instead of living in the moment, carefree and joyful. My little granddaughter Kaya teaches me about the fun and playfulness of living in the moment. My friend Stacy's daughter Isabella shows me awareness of beauty when she catches a sandbox turtle and marvels at his shell.
Yes, we could all learn a thing or two from the awe and wonder of creation from children. "Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" ~ Matthew 18:3. Lord, help me to appreciate your marvelous creation.
Love and Light,
Patty
