We returned home late last night after a good visit with family in Florida. Independence Day was hot and humid, so we passed on the fireworks, staying home and relaxing in the air conditioning. I have never been a big fan of fireworks displays. The noise always bothers me and it seems like a lot of work for a little bit of flash. My friends David and Carole stayed home and launched his own fireworks. While waiting for the sun to set, she took this amazing photo. Our fireworks pale in comparison to the beauty of the heavens. I love the mare’s tail clouds, with a curled or hooked appearance. These clouds are made of ice crystals at high altitudes, and frequently signal a change in weather. The wind shear caused by an incoming front curls the clouds into these whimsical shapes. Yet discussing the physics somehow diminishes the beauty. God could have made a world out of black and white squares, yet instead, choose to create beauty, shunning, awe inspiring beauty. Take time today to look up from your own fireworks, and allow yourself to become lost in wonder at God’s creation. When our daughter Tori was a toddler, she started the Lords’ Prayer like this, “Our Father, who does art in heaven, Howard is thy name”. We started to correct her, only to realize her mistake reflected a greater truth. Thanks be to Howard for the art. Photo by Carole Buckwalter © 2011
Seek the Sacred Amidst the Ordinary 