Morning on a front porch. Sent in by Penny Mingee Crawford.
There is something very special about the early morning, that time when the sun really hasn't appeared yet but you know it will soon be on its way. In the suburbs, while the streetlights are still on, the sky shows an amazing array of color, sometimes more vivid when scattered clouds are around to catch a mixture of pastels at their peak. This, of course, is a winter shot. It was sent to my by Penny Mingee Crawford, one who likes to read my work and is from Newport News, a great port and shipbuilding city in Tidewater, Virginia, and is also my hometown. She asked me to apply my words to her beautiful picture and tell what I see.
I see many wonderful things in this picture. First, in the darkness, I see a vibrant neighborhood community where people who work hard and have saved their money are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor in a nice home. It's the type of neighborhood where people appreciate what they have and want to live well, but not opulently as they go about trying to live responsibly and respect others along the way.
Then, however, from the vantage point of the front porch, all interest turns to the sky. It has a heavy volume of thin clouds, making me think a storm is either just moving out or moving in. I would hazard the guess, however, that since the clouds are a mixture of yellow, orange, and a pinkish gray, it is likely clearing. I don't see the reds normally associated with a storm on the way. The clouds will soon begin the fading of the colors as the sun continues its upward rise. Then they will likely clear off as the sun burns off the water vapor, but perhaps not if the humidity level is very high. Regardless, the picture as displayed is a wonderful example of a hopeful morning sky at a time of year when so much appears bear and brown due to the dormant nature of winter.
Now what does the picture say to me? The picture first tells me that after the darkness, then comes the light. The darkness is a time for sleep but it can also be a most fearful time when we can't sleep and focus on issues we face without the light opening our horizons. The light gives us hope, opens our vistas to see where we previously could not, and in a faithful perspective tells me that everything will be okay, that the Light of Life is alive and is always here for us.
And then there is the beauty of what is unfolding in the picture. The colors of the cloudy sky, with just a wee patch of blue showing through, lets us know that the place where we live, earth, just a tiny planet in the universe, was made special with all the beauty provided by that same Light of Life, Our Lord above, who loves us.
Finally, what about the bare branches of the trees, so beautiful in the spring, summer and fall and yet so drab in winter? Well, some might say that they represent the end of life, death, as the four seasons take us through the full realm of our life cycle. I, however, see it a different way. To me, they represent the hope of eternity since they aren't dead at all. They are starkly alive, just waiting for the warming sun and refreshing spring rains to bring them back to beauty. It's just like all who are faithful believe will be our fate, living on in a much more splendid state with no pain or suffering when this life on earth is done.
So, the next time you are in a hurry when you leave your home, be it in the city, the suburbs or even like me in the Florida swamp country, take the time to look up and around you and stop just a moment to savor it. It says a lot in glorious, real color and there is always a good message for you. It's a simple one. God our Creator is always here for us, as near as His Holy Spirit within us. Open your heart when you take that moment to look at his earth around you, it will broaden your horizon and bring peace and comfort to you in an often mixed up world. I know it does for me.
God bless you all and Penny, wherever you might be today in the Old Dominion or wherever, I hope my words described your picture in an accurate way. They just came from my heart. Thanks for asking me to use it.
I see many wonderful things in this picture. First, in the darkness, I see a vibrant neighborhood community where people who work hard and have saved their money are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor in a nice home. It's the type of neighborhood where people appreciate what they have and want to live well, but not opulently as they go about trying to live responsibly and respect others along the way.
Then, however, from the vantage point of the front porch, all interest turns to the sky. It has a heavy volume of thin clouds, making me think a storm is either just moving out or moving in. I would hazard the guess, however, that since the clouds are a mixture of yellow, orange, and a pinkish gray, it is likely clearing. I don't see the reds normally associated with a storm on the way. The clouds will soon begin the fading of the colors as the sun continues its upward rise. Then they will likely clear off as the sun burns off the water vapor, but perhaps not if the humidity level is very high. Regardless, the picture as displayed is a wonderful example of a hopeful morning sky at a time of year when so much appears bear and brown due to the dormant nature of winter.
Now what does the picture say to me? The picture first tells me that after the darkness, then comes the light. The darkness is a time for sleep but it can also be a most fearful time when we can't sleep and focus on issues we face without the light opening our horizons. The light gives us hope, opens our vistas to see where we previously could not, and in a faithful perspective tells me that everything will be okay, that the Light of Life is alive and is always here for us.
And then there is the beauty of what is unfolding in the picture. The colors of the cloudy sky, with just a wee patch of blue showing through, lets us know that the place where we live, earth, just a tiny planet in the universe, was made special with all the beauty provided by that same Light of Life, Our Lord above, who loves us.
Finally, what about the bare branches of the trees, so beautiful in the spring, summer and fall and yet so drab in winter? Well, some might say that they represent the end of life, death, as the four seasons take us through the full realm of our life cycle. I, however, see it a different way. To me, they represent the hope of eternity since they aren't dead at all. They are starkly alive, just waiting for the warming sun and refreshing spring rains to bring them back to beauty. It's just like all who are faithful believe will be our fate, living on in a much more splendid state with no pain or suffering when this life on earth is done.
So, the next time you are in a hurry when you leave your home, be it in the city, the suburbs or even like me in the Florida swamp country, take the time to look up and around you and stop just a moment to savor it. It says a lot in glorious, real color and there is always a good message for you. It's a simple one. God our Creator is always here for us, as near as His Holy Spirit within us. Open your heart when you take that moment to look at his earth around you, it will broaden your horizon and bring peace and comfort to you in an often mixed up world. I know it does for me.
God bless you all and Penny, wherever you might be today in the Old Dominion or wherever, I hope my words described your picture in an accurate way. They just came from my heart. Thanks for asking me to use it.
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