I have experienced a sure and steady change during my my life. The
world is becoming more lovely all the time. I am finding beauty in more
and more places. Part of me says that it's not the world that is
changing, it's me. But another part of me says there is absolutely no
difference. There are times when I look around and I am just in awe at
what I see, almost overwhelmed by what a fantastic place we all live
in. Whether on the scale of a vast landscape or a tiny snowflake there
is so much to wonder and marvel at, to appreciate. The little things
that may seem so inconsequential to many have taken on an enchantment
for me.
Much of last Saturday was nothing short of magical. We had gotten
about eight inches of snow during the night and I was out before the
sun was up. I was the first to drive through the snow and as the powder
rose up around the truck it seemed as if I was floating down the road.
And all around me, everywhere I looked, the world had been transformed
by the snow. As the sun came up there was just the perfect combination
of light and snow on the landscape. The first rays of the sun bathed
the landscape with warm tones in the foreground contrasted with cooler
shades in the background and clouds. I didn't make a large number of
images, I knew what I liked and how I wanted it composed and that was
it. Then I hiked for hours along one of my favorite trails along the
Pine River.
I photographed landscapes and animals on the trail, but mostly I
just enjoyed every moment, every view that I was given. I don't know
where the time went, when I got back home it was 1:00. After lunch I
did some work and then I headed out one more time to capture the sunset
over the river. The magic continued right until the end of the day, On
my way back the wind was blowing snow from an open field across the
road. The road completely disappeared under the swirling snow and as
the crystals were blown up to the level of the windshield it seemed as
if I was driving through a cloud, like I was in a dream. A dream of an
entire day of beauty.
I know exactly what Pierre Tielhard de Chardin meant when he wrote,
"Throughout my whole life, during every minute of it, the world has
been gradually lighting up and blazing before my eyes until it has come
to surround me, entirely lit up from within."
Charles St. Charles III
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