Tag Archives: explore

Reach for the Sky

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In the animated film named Toy Story, Woody is a wooden cowboy toy with a pull cord. When you pull his cord there are recorded sayings such as, “There’s a snake in my boot” and “Reach for the sky”. It is this saying that I choose to elaborate on just a little bit.

I took this photograph horizontally to show the breadth of the fabulous sky that day. However, if it were viewed vertically, it would reveal more for this post. Oh well… the view was beautiful anyway I looked at it.

The utility pole stretches beyond the limits of vision, as does life. So, maybe this is the best way to display this image!

We try really hard to map out our future, to see what life will be like in one, ten, twenty years from now. Occasionally things work out as we planned, but not usually. And for those who walk the line they mapped out, I guarantee there are many bumps and bruises along the way. Life is like that for all of us.

Some seek crystal balls to foretell the future. Others simply don’t care as long as their specific needs are met at the specific time. Somewhere in the middle is where most of us find ourselves. We wonder what the future will hold while dealing with the needs of today and tomorrow. Life can be tough. Life can also be amazingly wonderful.

There is a season for everything under the sun, as King Solomon stated in his synopsis of living. Although he was the wisest and richest person that ever lived, he still had questions about this thing we call ‘our lives’. Wealth nor poverty, location nor altitude can provide us with enough information to satisfy the mind of man. Only God can give us peace of mind, and then that takes effort on our part.

I dare you to “Reach for the Sky” and explore the unknown. Seek those things you fear may harm you. Become excited about life again! Too many of us have fallen asleep and simply plod along without expanding our minds or souls. I personally know this and it is not a pleasant place to be. Stretch yourselves and reach for whatever lures you to explore. Just be mindful of the consequences because not all exploring is healthy.

Good hunting !

PINWHEEL

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A pinwheel by definition is “a child’s toy consisting of a stick with colored vanes that twirl in the wind”. They can be found across the globe. Parades and birthday parties are among the most popular places to find them. They are whimsical, fascinating to watch, and just plain fun. Their simplicity is partly what makes them so enjoyable…they can be made from paper and plastic or we can buy one for a small amount of money. A simple rush of wind is all it takes to make them spin. Yet, they are still popular after centuries of playful use!

This is nature’s pinwheel. Actually, one of many such flowers with this type of configuration. This is a Vinca flower which grows from a vine and is actually a ground covering. Simple, but lovely. I am always amazed as I witness something from nature which has been copied or imitated by man. Think of planes and birds, for instance. One cannot escape the resemblance nor the actual physics of both.

We, as humans, strive to become more intelligent and better than the generation before. We are on a constant quest to develop technologies which advance whatever field they may be in. This is natural, I suppose, however, let us not forget who is the Original Designer of all that is beautiful…God. To imitate Him is the supreme compliment.

Let us not forget this fact in our hast to rush ahead to the next ‘discovery’ or ‘cure’. Man is always a step behind. This is better than not being in line at all, though. I certainly am grateful that He allows us to explore His creation for the betterment of mankind. Enjoy the simplicity as well as the complexity of this world we have been given to protect and magnify. And, guard against those who would manipulate His creation for evil intent.

L A Y E R S

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Sunrise, Lenexa, Kansas, USA, at approximately 7:30 am or 0730 hours, January 31st.

Walked to my car from the health club after a workout and this is what I witnessed.

The actual sunrise was much more outstanding than my photograph, especially as it changed colors and shapes by the second.

After downloading this image to the computer, the layering seemed to magnify itself.

So, I thought about layers. We sometimes hear that certain things are only skin deep. At other times we hear that some things are buried so deep they can’t be found.

The reality is that when it comes to life, most everything that lives has layers: whether it be physical, emotional, mental or anywhere outside these realms. Life is complex.

I would like to limit this post to humans. We are fragile, yet flexible. We are strong, yet weak. Courageous, yet cowardly. Compassionate, yet cruel. Kind, yet mean. We are amazing. We are a mystery.

Like an onion which has a layer of silky skin upon juicy layers of zesty fruit, we can peel away and come to the heart of this vegetable without really understanding its uniqueness. We simply take for granted that is how all onions are and so be it. Like them or not. I venture to say that people are similar to onions in that we possess a complexity of layers.

We are not single cell organisms like some bacteria, but complex in every discernible way. This complexity is patterned after the Creator of the universe. Appreciate the commonness as well as the uniqueness.

If you can relate, I am so tired of the charade that is taking place in our world-especially in America. So many are divided. So many are angry and critical. So many are giving up. And, so many feel lost. This doesn’t even cover the majority of our world who don’t have a clue as to what I just stated-they are simply trying to survive. Can you imagine that…existing each day merely to make it to the next?

So, I return to the topic of layers. Explore the diversity, the uniqueness, the amazing in others, and in yourself. This may take some time as you peel away each layer, but discovery awaits. But, please, do not forget to explore the oneness we all have as human beings created in the image of God. May we all experience, and exercise, more peace and patience each day. The world needs it, you need it, and I definitely need it, as well.

Verdant

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Spring is such a vivacious season with verdant grasslands and forests. Along with this season of hope comes the longing to explore, to go outside and seek beyond what we think we know to be there. Or, we simply become invigorated with what we are familiar with, but only witness quarterly. This is true if we live in a climate where there are four seasons.For the longest time I have considered Autumn to be my favorite season, but when Spring arrives I fall in love with her energy, colors and aromas. Can we have more than one favorite season?

Depending on where one lives, Summer may be all we know such as in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. On the other hand, if one lived in the southern Chilean Andes, all we would know are the wonders of winter-like conditions supplemented with a short period of semi-warmth. Or, consider the vast Sahara desert with thousands of square miles of sand. In these areas of the world, seasons aren’t considered quite the same.

However, the world I know enjoys multiple seasons, and each season has it’s own appeal, as does each geographic profile; be it desert or arctic landscape, mountain or rain forest, plain or rolling hills. They all teem with stimulating life and beauty. The key is in the seeking to discover, for it is only then do we really notice what God has given us via his creation. I haven’t even mentioned the oceans or the skies!

My wish is that this season…this month…this day, may reveal something new and remarkable to you. As you walk the pathway of this season of your life, be encouraged, for there is beauty even among the dreariest of circumstances and environments. Seek.