beauty

This seems to be a focus for me lately (still?): the absolute beauty of God's creation.

Most recently, like a few minutes ago, I was reading a New York Times article online titled 'The World, Up Close'. In all confession, to reading, I mean like you can read a picture book. A competition was held recognizing photographs taken through a microscope. The images are amazing. The structure, the color. Beautiful. The first place photo is of algae, the most common type of phytoplankton which was found in mud. In an audio blurb with the photo the photographer said, "God’s finest creation in miniature. Absolutely stunning; they’re beautiful." The same applies in macro - like gazing at galaxies caught in time by Hubble telescope.

I have a friend in India (we went over together at the same time for internship with eMi; he just decided to hang around for another go) who recently survived something very scary. He and another guy from the office where on a bus riding up in the Himalayas heading to client when it started to snow ... lots of snow, in the mountains, on back Indian roads, in an old bus. They (the group of strangers on the bus) were stranded in a small pit stop, highway diner-esque type of place for six days because of an avalanche blocked them in. When the army finally found them, they all hiked three hours to where vehicles could only reach. My friend was just speechless with the beauty of the mountains and snow and yaks (!). He describes it as one of the most beautiful places he has ever seen.

Even where I am right now (which happens to be on the gulf coast at my sister's house). We went for an after-dinner walk along the bay as the sun was setting. It was cloudy, but right at the horizon, as the sun made its last appearance before settling in for the night, this bright orange ball glowed with such force over the waters.

Life is a beautiful thing. Sadly it is easy to overlook much of what God has skillfully crafted, but sometimes, sometimes it just slaps you in the face and awakens drowsy eyes.