It’s finally spring here in Northern Minnesota, as of this week. The budded trees finally gave way to leaves bursting out. One day the trees have only buds, and the next day there are leaves. While the fourth rain of the month was coming down, the brown grass was suddenly green. All kinds of songbirds are singing their heart out at 5am in the morning, an hour before it’s really light out.
I secretly wanted to see something I had never seen before. How does one see the same thing and see something different? I believe it’s in the lighting. The sun is like a thousand spotlights in the woods, drawing our eyes to see what it is shining on. Click on any picture to enlarge. Each picture is then captioned underneath.
I had never seen the sun glow through birchbark with such color. The new leaves were like glow bugs in the woods. There is a certain kind of “wonder” in seeing differently. It’s more than possible that I was seeing because I was really looking. The lighting in the woods was too dark to take good pictures hand holding my camera, unless the sun’s rays were highlighting something worth freezing in frame. A thought went through me…”It’s just too easy to live one’s life in the dark.”
In an odd sort of way, my walk through the woods helped me see an old friend differently (a very strained and a two-year ostracized relationship). I saw hope for a renewed acquaintance. So yesterday, I drove to his place and said a prayer. I knocked on the door, he opened it and said, “it’s about time”. I said, “I miss my old friend.” We talked. It was better than good.
Maybe there is really something that happens to the core of our being when we begin Looking to see. I start talking to God. I started to sing “he’s got the whole world…in his hands.” I must admit, this not so little walk in the woods has my life as well as my eyes, looking to see.
Gary