Beauty — Page 19

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 21

October 21, 2012 By Diana

Sitting in the swing one evening about ten days ago, I noticed a little bit of color creeping onto the western edge of the clouds.

So I took a little look around the sky.

Sometimes it’s hard to know which direction to look,
toward the setting sun,
or toward the hills to the east.

The weather was, as usual, changeable.

Hot sun, followed by blustery wind.

Those two together often create ideal conditions

for a beautiful evening sky.

So looking toward the west allowed lovely silhouettes,

especially these king palms, which are one of my favorite
California trees.
Something about them speaks of pre-history,
quiet grandeur.
They also provide hidden homes for scores of birds,
birds of all kinds and sizes, from
tiny finches to screech owls.

But the view from the backyard?
Well, this particular evening,
it was nothing short of spectacular.

The layers of sky and hill upon hill
took my breath away.

Every once in a while,

I feel like God sends me a telegram.

“Look around!” it says.

“Admire my handiwork.

Enjoy the beauty I have given to you,

and to all humankind.

I Am, indeed.

I Am the Author of all things Beautiful.

And here is a hand-signed copy

of my latest release!”

What can I say?

Only thank you, thank you,
THANK YOU.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, Photo Essay

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 19

October 20, 2012 By Diana

Today we got frustrated,

and disappointed,

and enraptured —

all at the same time.

We drove across town to the Old Mission.

Our assignment?

Get fingerprinted,

so that a background check could be run,

so that we could serve as volunteers

at our soon-to-be-seven-year-old

granddaughter’s school.

Our daughter-in-law carefully

researched the date,

wrote us some instructions

and said in passing,

“It says to call ahead and make

a reservation,

but we just walked up and got

in line. You probably don’t need to.”

Wrong.

So we’ll wait til next time.

But when I turned around from the office

complex, I realized that the early morning

cloud cover had burned completely off,

and we had a lovely shot of one of

the most beautiful buildings in our state,

the Queen of the Missions.

I didn’t have much time,
as my husband was peeved and restless,
but I aimed my camera and rattled
off a few shots, wondering
what I might have captured
in the three minutes I grabbed.

Someday, I will post some interior shots on this blog,
but today, I was fortunate to get these angled exteriors.
To tell you the truth, everything
about this site is lovely.
Standing on those front steps,
you can see all the way to the ocean.
And you can imagine Father Serra
surveying this beauty and sighing,
as he traveled the Camino Real up and down
the coast of Alta California.

These bells actually ring,
reminding parishioners to pray,
calling them to mass,
inviting people to stop,
for just a moment or two,
and remember that being busy
is not all there is to this life.

There is a fountain here that is as old as the Mission,

part of the original aquaduct system that brought

water to the crops,

supplied the laundry workers,

and provided drinking water for everyone,

priests, soldiers and Indians alike.

The angle of the sun was just right today,

and the gently rippling water

caught the reflection of Mission Santa Barbara.

She is a lovely old thing, isn’t she?
And she wears her years very well, indeed.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, photography, Santa Barbara

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 18

October 19, 2012 By Diana

Depending upon the time of day,

walking at Butterfly Beach

can be a very different experience.

Earlier this week, I wrote about the joys of both sitting and walking in this spot.

And this is what it looked like just three days ago.

The beach was wide,

with lots of sand for walking,

or digging,

or lazing around.

And some rocky shoals, which are hardly ever visible,

were eagerly explored by young beach-goers.

There is something soul-expanding about seeing

that much level beach —

an invitation to come on down,

breathe deeply,

get your toes wet.

Today looked decidedly different.
There was no beach,
not an inch of sand that could be walked upon with confidence.
No space for sitting,
relaxing,
toe-tipping.

Instead,

the water pounded right up to the wall,

stunning in its proximity and power.

The weather was similar —

warm, sunny, clear.

The long-range view was basically

the same — islands in the distance,

oil derricks a little further in,

the curving peninsula of the mainland

visible toward the southeast.

But it felt profoundly different.

A shift in time,

a moody pull of the moon,

a portent of stormy weather ahead?

I do not know how the tides shift.

I just know that they do.

And that makes all the difference.

High and low each have beauties of their own —

an invitation and a warning,

a welcome and a reminder.

Life is a little like that, I think.

Some days, all looks level.

Others, there is no sure footing to be found.

Nothing else has shifted,

the ingredients are the same basic mix —

but some days feel like invitation,

and others feel like warning.

I love them both.

The allure of a wide beach is

wonderful and warm;

the power of a surging surf is

heart-stopping and thrilling.

I think you have to experience

both to fully appreciate each.

Because we need both kinds of tides.

And we need both kinds of days,

both kinds of living:

resting on the sand and

enjoying the view for a while

and standing with arms wide

and hearts open to

receive the beautiful,

sometimes terrifying power

of life itself.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, photography, The Sea

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 17

October 18, 2012 By Diana

Since Lilly started pre-school in September,

her grandfather has been volunteering

every week,

on Wednesdays —

the very day we cared for her

for over two years.

He spends about four hours —

helping with stories,

snacks,

lunches,

naps.

He loves it.

I have never known anyone who has such

natural rapport with small children.

Every one of our grandchildren

adores him,

and with good reason.

Today was a field trip –

and I got to go, too.

“The wheels on the bus

go round and round…”

Thirty pre-schoolers,

about a dozen adults,

all of us singing,

doing the hand motions,

anticipating a fun couple of hours.

The day was warm,

HOT, to be exact,

and crystal clear,

as we unloaded

ourselves from the

big yellow school bus.

The Pumpkin Patch

is only a few miles

from the school

and is small and compact.

Thank goodness!!

Have you ever tried

to corral 30 small persons

around a large open field?

In we marched,

and Lilly found

Poppy’s hand just as

soon as she could.

Everyone filed into the shade

for a presentation

about pumpkins, gourds,

and Indian corn.

These two little girls – our Lilly on the left,

and Carolyn, on the right,

were born on the same day,

just hours apart.

And the director of the pre-school

was in the waiting room with

all the grandparents.

Each of these cuties

has an older sibling

who was a student at the school

at the time of their birth.

I have no memory of ever

seeing a school administrator

at any of my kids’ births!

After learning about fall veggies,

and enjoying a much-needed cup

of cold water and a snack,

the kids were let loose to pick a pumpkin.

Lilly chose a small, compact one

and her teacher happily wrote her

name on it and put it in the class wagon.

Trying to get a class photo was interesting.

And fun.

The two girls in the center of the front row,

that’s our girl and her BFF, Alice.

They truly love each other,

hugging when they meet,

choosing to sit together often,

sharing long connections

through their parents and

older sisters –

all of whom are friends.

For the purposes of this 31-day challenge,

I could wax eloquent

about how much beauty this

small person has brought into our lives.

And before this month is over,

I most likely will do so.

But tonight?

Tonight I want to celebrate the

beauties of friendship,

the joys of shared history,

the ties that connect

people over time

and life experience.

We are designed for community,

and it shows up very early.

I was delighted to see these lovely threads

winding between two small girls,

not yet three years old.

One of the most beautiful things

I’ve seen all day, in fact.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, family, God's gifts, Santa Barbara

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 16

October 17, 2012 By Diana

It was darkening by the time I returned from the store.

That’s happening a lot earlier these days,

and I am not pleased.

I love the sun.

I love a reasonable amount of heat.

I like long days,

with lingering sunlight,

lengthening shadows,

sunset coloring the sky for a good, long while.

So as much as I enjoy the onset of fall-ish weather,

and as glad as I am to re-enter some

semblance of a schedule with the

start of the school year,

there is a part of me that feels

a little bit lost,

and a slow, creeping sense of sadness

as the dark claims more and more of the day.

But in just the two minutes

that it took to drop my purse on the bed,

look for an anticipated email,

(it wasn’t there),

and rattle down the list

in my head of what needed to be done

in the next 45 minutes,

I glanced out the screen door

and saw this glorious spilling

of crimson,

lightening and brightening the

growing gloom of too-early nightfall.

The last gasp of summer,
radiating hope
and light and
stunning, stop-me-in-my-tracks beauty.

What is it about red roses?
Something about the depth of color,
the strong, familiar scent,
the sturdy call to pay attention?
I’m not entirely sure,
I just know I love them,
and they always stir
something joyful in my spirit.

I like them best
when they’re on the bush,
lending their glamour to the garden,
forcing me to look,
and to look again.
It seems almost a sacrilege to cut them,
although I do it from time to time.
Even red roses need pruning,
dead-heading,
trimming back.

And soon enough,
this one will be trimmed, too.
But right now,
tonight,
when I’m pondering
a proposal that surprised me,
wondering if this is what’s next
on God’s plate for me,
I will enjoy their vibrant cry
for my attention.

Red is the color of hope,
I’m told.
And of life.
It is a scarlet thread that weaves
its way through scripture
and my life,
splashing passion,
crying ‘courage!’,
promising good things ahead.

Joining with Jennifer, Duane, Emily and Ann tonight:

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, personal journey, photography

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 15

October 16, 2012 By Diana

So there are some days in which

beauty takes you by surprise.

I had a doctor’s appointment today –

not usually something that comes

even remotely close to being beautiful.

But for just a moment,

I spotted it.

“You look really good today,”

the cardiologist told me

when I went in to see him

for follow-up to a change

in blood pressure meds.

“Your numbers are exceptional.

I’ll see you in a year.”

That was a spot of unexpected

beautiful news.

And I had about one hour

after that appointment,

and before my next one.

I chose to spend it

in my second ‘office,’

reading through a couple of days

in a new devotional guide,

recommended by my friend, Nancy Franson,

and prayerfully pondering future writing

themes and projects.

This is “my” spot on the bluffs, overlooking Butterfly Beach.

From the front of my traveling office space,

this is the view.

Shifting just slightly to my right,

brings in this one, which is a little bit less dramatic.

And this is the view to the rear of my work space.

Not too shabby.

We have been blessed to see some of the most beautiful

coastlines in the world –

the Garden Route in South Africa,

the Amalfi Coast in Italy,

the Italian Riviera,

the north Atlantic seaboard,

from Connecticut all the way up to Nova Scotia,

the Caribbean shores of St. Thomas and Mexico,

the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Baja,

and the entire Pacific Coast of North America,

as far as Alaska and the Yukon.

And this right here?

This is at the top of the list.

And I can drive here in five – count them FIVE – minutes.

Thank you, Lord.

I will admit this about being surrounded by such beauty –

I can easily be distracted.

Take today, for example.

This was a day for boats,

a subject about which I know very little indeed.

My friend, Sheila Lagrand, might be able to tell you a lot more about that particular subject,

though I doubt these photos will give her enough

info to identify what type of boats

I was watching today.

This one was very purposeful,

heading toward waters down

the coast. (You’ll note that I did not say

heading south down the coast. That is because

our funny peninsula here faces south

rather than west, so it gets a little weird

if you say you’re heading ‘south.’)

This tiny guy, however, was content to just drift a bit,
taking in the sights,
enjoying the beauty of a suddenly balmy day
after a tender taste of real fall weather late last week.

Then a bit bigger boat came into my sight line,
looking sleek and intentional.
Again, he was heading down the coast.

Suddenly, the meandering mellow guy
began to rev up the engine,
and before I knew it,
I had an interesting shot –
the islands in the distance,
the oil derricks in silhouette,
and two ships, passing in the daylight.

And just before it was time to move my office
to a parking spot in front of a favorite restaurant
(yes, lunch with a friend is an appointment, right?),
one final flourish from a small craft heading up the coast.
Perhaps this was the first guy heading home?
Perhaps this was boat number 4 in 40 minutes?
Perhaps it was time for me to put the camera DOWN,
and write a bit?

I did grab a few ideas here and there,
and quite possibly some of those will
show up here or at
A Deeper Story/Deeper Family/Deeper Church.
Who knows?
All I know for sure is this:
today’s office visit(s)
were rich with reminder
that I am – truly –
being saved by beauty as I walk through each day.
O Lord, may I have eyes to see!

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, personal journey, Photo Essay, Writing

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 14

October 15, 2012 By Diana

After all the dramatic weather of the past few days,

today brought clear skies

and warm temperatures.

Our small group did its monthly thing,

gathering at our home.

And on this fall day, October 14, it was still more

than warm enough to meet in the yard.

These are such good people,

so dear to us,

and we enjoy our 2-hour window

for sharing and prayer,

sipping cool (or warm) beverages,

enjoying a few sweet or savory treats.

Every one of us carries around

some points of concern and struggle;

every one of us finds moments

of grace and redemption

even in the middle of the messy.

The theme of our morning worship

carried over into our conversation a little bit.

We looked at the story of the rich young ruler

and the call to surrender,

to let go of all those things

that bind us and keep us

from fully following Jesus.

I don’t like that story very much.

It hits a little too close to home, you know?

But today, I liked it just a bit better.

We pondered the line,

“Jesus looked at him and loved him,”

in juxtaposition with the

end of the story –

when the young man sadly walks away.

Ever wondered why Jesus

didn’t do what we might be likely to do?

Soft-soap the deal?

Make a different offer?

Do everything in our power to

change this potential great-leader-for-the-kingdom’s mind?

Yeah, me, neither.

But today, I did think about it.

A lot.

And here’s what I’ve come to:

Jesus looks at us and loves us;

Jesus invites us into a full-bodied relationship

of community and action;

Jesus loves us too much to either force us to follow

or to back-pedal about what it might cost us to do so.

So, as I cleaned up the kitchen

after they left this afternoon,

as I rested and caught up on Facebook,

as I took my walk and spied

this glory on the Carpinteria foothills –

I asked God to help me to want to let go.

To let go of . . .

how much I love living where I live;

how much I adore my grandchildren;

how controlling I can feel inside,

wanting to ‘fix’ everyone’s problems,

not trusting that God’s got it – no matter the outcome.

Because we all have those things that trap us,

and bind us,

and keep us

from becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus.

What are yours?

“Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

Let the earth and all living things join in.

Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!

Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD.

For the LORD is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with justice,

and the nations with fairness.”

Psalm 98:7-9, NLT

Joining with a few friends tonight – Michelle, Jen, Ann, Laura and L.L. to name a few:

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, biblical reflection, community, God's gifts, personal journey

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 12

October 13, 2012 By Diana

This weekend, we are traveling,

heading south to be with family,

in parts and pieces,

for just a day or so.

And as we leave,

the first storm of the season

is building in drama

and beauty.

As we round the curve on the 118,

heading into the hills and canyons

that separate the valleys

San Fernando and San Gabriel,

we can see what we’re heading into.

We have splashes and splitches

on the windshield as we drive

the two hours,

listening to a play-off game on the car radio.

But after we are safely ensconced in our

daughter’s small, cozy guesthouse,

the clouds burst their seams,

pouring water,

hail and something new to our ears,

graupel,

all around us,

looking for all the world like

small pellets of styrofoam packing material.

Time with mom is good.

My brother has made the long trek

from northern CA

and she is delighted to

have her two remaining

children (and her daughter’s husband)

in the same space,

making her laugh til her sides hurt –

even when she can’t quite understand

everything that is being said.

I take a walk in the late afternoon,

around my daughter’s beautiful, old

neighborhood,

filled with Victorian cottages,

bungalows from the turn of the

twentieth century,

and a bounteous buffet

of doors and porches.

This old codger was somehow

both delightfully out of place
and quite comfy
in this collection of
oldies, but goodies.

The street just to the west of our children
is filled with magnificent
old jewels like this shingled glory,

mixed nicely with smaller, more modest
abodes.

This lovely avenue positively defines
the term ‘tree-lined street,’
and is always deliciously inviting.

Turning the bend below the elementary school,
brings a bright row of small charmers,

and the delightful surprise of a healthy,
blooming plumeria plant,
six feet tall and thriving in this
decidedly non-tropical environment.

And this is a garage.
Oh, my.

This small gem, with its bright red door,
stands diagonally across the corner
on the street where we are staying.
When I see it,
it always seems to call out,
‘welcome!’

One more small Victorian on the way up the hill,

and then I’m back where I began,
the charming Sears & Roebuck bungalow,
which our children have tastefully and carefully
enlarged and improved,
and where we are always received
by grace-filled, loving hearts.

I think this front door is my very favorite of all.

The beauty found in
thunder storms,
architecture,
history,
neighborhoods,
city streets
and warm welcome
is saving me
right here, right now.
And I am thankful.

Much longer than usual for the weekend quiet hosted by my friends Sandy and Deidra, but this is what I’ve got for now. I hope to do a simpler one for Sat/Sun, which means I will not quite make all 31 of the 31-day challenge.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, family, God's gifts, Home, photography, Quiet for the Weekend

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 10

October 11, 2012 By Diana

I’ve been thinking a lot about contrasts lately.

Light and dark,

small and large,

near and far.

And about how so many of those things that we

tend to put into opposition to one another

are not all that opposed after all.

Both things are true,

both sides are instructive,

both realities are beautiful,

each in their own way.

Last summer, I spent two weeks

looking at this view.

Here is the view on a sunny day –

with all the colors popping,

the architectural details sharp,

distinct,

easy to follow,

the palm trees leading your eye out to the horizon.

If you look closely at the wing of the building

that was just outside my window,

you can see that the right side of the roof

looks a slightly different color from the left.

It doesn’t seem dramatic, does it?

Now – here are some similar views,

taken on a foggy morning.

The colors blend a bit more,

nothing stands out,

even the lines of the building

are fuzzier, the trees

fade away into the fog.

There is no horizon to be found.

In the cool of that foggy morning,

I began to see that the two sides

of that roof were quite different from one another.

I am facing due south in this picture,

so the westside of the building is the darker one.

I was intrigued by this and began to draw in

a little bit closer.

The fog was beginning to lift as

I screwed on the telephoto lens,

and this is what I began to see.

An astounding display of lichen,
moss, multi-colored plant life,
clinging like crazy-colored barnacles
to the terra cotta tiles

I found them stunningly beautiful,
especially in contrast to the rich red
of the roof; I was
fascinated by
these green and gray polka dots,
scrambling wildly down the rows.

I would not have seen them at all
if the fog had not rolled in,
forcing me
to take my eye off the horizon,
to stop taking the long view,
and instead,
to pay attention
to what was right in front of my face.

I have spent much of my life searching
toward that horizon,
thinking and dreaming about
what was to come.
One of my major regrets
is that I did not fully appreciate
what was
right in front of my face
while I was living it.

I got better at it over time,
thank God.
But how I wish I had
celebrated the glory
of the single moment
just a bit more,
especially when my
children were small
and I was tired all.the.time.

I take some comfort from the disciples.

They weren’t able to see what was

right in front of them, either.

Yet even they,

with their stubbornness,

their denseness,

their projection of their

particular hopes and dreams,

hopes and dreams

that were so far from God’s best

as to be laughable at times –

even they got to see the other side.

Jesus came to them,

in his new,

resurrected body,

and he stood before them,

greeted them gently,

offered them peace

and then sent them out

to change the world.

The truth is, both sides,

both views

are important.

The long view,

and the close-up one.

And both views contain truth,

big truths – long-term goals,

aspirations, dreams –

and small truths –

the glories of

the immediate,

the blessings of now.

Somehow, I don’t think the world

can truly be changed

without some experience

of holding-both-sides-together.

Because our world needs both:

the healing presence and comfort

of the Jesus

who comes and cups our faces

and says, “Peace be with you,”

and the powerful creative energy

of the Cosmic Christ,

in “whom all things hold together,”

who wants to make all things new,

including every one of us.

So, even though I’m not a foggy weather

kind of person,

I will celebrate and appreciate

those days when they come.

In fact, I will seek them out,

looking always for

Jesus

right in front of my face.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, personal journey, Photo Essay, Spiritual Direction

31 Days in which I am Saved by Beauty – Day 9

October 10, 2012 By Diana

I have already written about this evening walking I do.

This circle walking.

And circle praying.

Tonight I was a little distracted.

This is the season for the acorn drop,

and there are hundreds of them,

all over the paving stones of our driveway.

Can you see them in this picture?

The one below these words?

Earlier this fall, my grandgirl Gracie and I picked up a few,
and put them in a bowl on my china cabinet.
We don’t usually see their small caps,
just the cylindrical bodies.
But this year, early in the dropping season,
we found a hundred or so that had their hats.

My husband believes that
the number of acorns on the driveway
is a good predictor of how rainy it will be during
the winter months here on the coast of California.
So far, he’s been right.

I think maybe we’re in for it this year.

They’re in every crevice,
cracking underfoot as I turn circles,
round and round.
And when our cars drive over them,
they break open,
revealing the nutmeat inside.
Tonight,
a small brown bird hopped out
from his hiding place under the
oleanders,
jumping into the space I had just left.
He began busily picking at the broken pieces.
When I’d get within about 15 feet of him,
he’d hop away into the bushes again.
He did this on almost all of my 36 circles this night.

I like the crackling sound these acorns make as I walk.
That noise, these small objects – they remind me
that it is now fall,
even as the changing angle of the light
helps me remember that the seasons
are shifting.
We don’t have a lot of other clues in
central California,
just these subtleties, these small things.
To me, they are beautiful
and evocative,
reminding me of how things
stay the same,
even as they are changing.

If I have planned well,
and begun my walking early enough,
I can finish my time outdoors
by sitting in this swing,
which hangs across the yard.
It’s a beautiful spot,
sheltered under the oaks,
and the swing is strung up by sturdy chains,
wrapped around a large, twisting branch.

If I have planned well,
I try to spend between ten and twenty minutes
in this swing,
centering,
focusing quietly on one or two words
from scripture.
I breathe carefully,
purposefully,
with awareness, trying to stay
in rhythm with both the words
and with the swing.
It always feels to me like I am
held.
Secure, cradled.

Even when the words are these:
“Mercy, Lord.”
Which is what came to me tonight,
for a long list of reasons.

I choose to believe that God hears and answers.
And even when I don’t particularly like
the answers,
there is still mercy to be found.
Selah.