This was the veranda just down the hall from my room at Mater Dolorosa. During the night before this picture was taken, we were pleasantly surprised by a small rainstorm, something we have been sorely lacking for over five years now. When the sun came out that morning, it was glorious! Look at the shadow pattern created by the lattice work at the top of the porch. Remarkable.
I happen to love shadows. I’m not a big fan of a completely sunless day, unless it happens to be raining. So after the murkiness of the previous afternoon, I was delighted to see blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and clearly marked shadows everywhere I looked.
There is something powerful about contrasts, I think. They help us see things more clearly, bring added color to our view, even help show us where to go — and where not to go. Sometimes they can be disorienting, and some shadows are darker than I might wish! But overall, I am a fan. As is true for any metaphor, this one can be stretched beyond believability. No one goes through life looking for the darker places. But . . . they show up anyhow, don’t they. So why not pray for eyes to see what those ‘shadows’ might have for us to learn? Sometimes that learning won’t happen while we’re in the shadow’s shade, but only after we’ve stepped out of it and can look at the mark it leaves behind us. And some ‘lessons’ won’t be found this side of heaven, either.
But I wonder today — might it help us to hang onto the beauty of shade and light in pictures like the one above? If we could somehow imprint that loveliness on our mind’s eye, maybe it could help to steer us through some of the more shadowy events in our lives, offering hope that shadows always give way to light at some point. What do you think?
I, too, love the contrast of light and shadow. Over the summer, I occasionally spent early morning moments on the deck, reveling in the golden light filtering through the tress, contrasted with the dark velvet green of dense foliage down by the creek bed. The lesson you draw from the beauty of light and shadow is spot on, Diana. AMEN!
Thanks, Nancy.
Beautiful! Now I wouldn’t have noticed that. I would have been trying to figure out where I was going. Perfect example to illustrate “Paying Attention”. Thanks.
Here in the Northwest, it’s always a joy to see the sun break through on overcast days…..little rays of light streaking towards the earth, then quickly ending as the wind pushes the clouds together again. Light and shadow, each have a place up here. Beauty clearly seen, then muted. Like us, too.