New Mexico, Photography, Texas, Wildlife

Small Wonders

October 26, 2021 Debra Coe 15 Comments

In her poem, “When Death Comes,” Mary Oliver writes:

“When it’s over, I want to say
All my life
I was a bride married to amazement.”

To me being “married to amazement” means to live – and love – with a wide-open heart fully expecting to be amazed. I find that when I take time to practice this, I always find beauty in unexpected places.

This especially happens whenever I’m in nature. I find hidden treasures. Most often these are tiny enough to be very easily overlooked. The only thing really required of me to see these small wonders is to slow way down and open my eyes and be in and with nature where I am.

On our last camping trip to Colorado, I was intently practicing taking photos with my new camera trying to get the macro focus just right. I’d been focused on a cluster of berries and had taken multiple photos, when quite to my surprise, this tiny seed with silky hairs floated right into focus. It was as though nature was reminding me again to be open to the surprising treasures right in front of me.

Later the same day, Tom asked me to experiment on using the new telephoto lens to take a picture of what he and I both thought was a yellow flower across the stream and quite a distance away. What a surprise! It turned out this was actually a cluster of tiny yellow leaves whose stem had been entangled in a spider’s web. Although the leaves would soon be gone, life was happening! Some unsuspecting insect would become a hungry spider’s next meal, and the cycle of life would continue (at least for the spider!) And this would happen whether or not I was there to bear witness to it. If I want to be amazed, I must pay close attention.

As I was hiking with our photography group on a trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in search of something magnificent and large like a bull moose to photograph, a friend pointed out this small cluster of berries nearly hidden beneath a fallen log. I had just about stepped over it without ever seeing it. In my opinion, it is no less glorious than a bull moose. Science may have an explanation for why humans perceive beauty. However, I like to also believe such vibrant colors serve as a reminder that beauty is an expression of the Spirit’s joy and creativity.

Nature’s willingness to astonish us is by no means restricted to spectacular places. On a lazy afternoon last week, Tom and I drove outside the city and found a trail. Rather than focusing on a particular destination as our goal, we decided to saunter (my new favorite word). Many people in our part of Texas wait for Spring to take scenic wildflower drives, but some of our Hill Country flowers are still blooming, and the bees are happily gathering nectar. Even a cactus when viewed close up is amazingly beautiful in its intricate design.

Of all the tiny elements in nature, the butterfly is my favorite. To me it speaks of transformation. This photo (below) was taken close to our home. Again, it was a serendipitous moment when I was focused on the flower, and the butterfly simply flew into view, seemed to smile at me, and then she became part of the photo. The detail in her wings, face, and wobbly antennae bring a smile to my face. Mainly though, I love butterflies because they remind me of my belief that death is not an end but rather a transformation. The following hymn, “Hymn of Promise,” written in 1986 by Natalie Sleeth, speaks of resurrection as witnessed in nature.

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity.
In our death a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

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Colorado, Mountains, Photography, Wildlife

The Peace of Wild Things

October 13, 2021 Debra Coe 2 Comments

One of the benefits of Kevin Gourley’s Rocky Mountain National Park Photography workshops is ample opportunity to catch glimpses of wildlife. Kevin is in close communication with park rangers who can tell him with some reliability where the elk, big horn sheep, and moose are most likely to be spotted on any given day. And so, we followed the advice of the experts and covered a great deal of the park driving and then hiking in search of these wild and often elusive creatures.

A bit of sound advice Kevin offers prior to and during each workshop is to not focus too much on capturing the perfect shot of a bull moose or bear. Instead, his advice is to always be aware of your surroundings. That’s great advice even when not on a photography workshop! We miss so much of life waiting and watching for something to happen that we miss the miracles and joys right in front of us. Some of my favorite photos from this trip were of more common creatures. To me, they are no less magnificent than others.

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Sharing our campsite with a family of deer.

Over the past several days, I’ve been reading quite a bit about St. Francis of Assisi whose feast day is Oct. 4^th. True to tradition, last Saturday, our church held its annual blessing of the animals. Pets large and small, real ones, and stuffed animals, were brought forth to receive a special blessing by our priest. I heard all went smoothly with no escapees or conflicts noted. Whew!

As you probably know, St. Francis is one of the most beloved of all the saints and is noted for his deep spiritual connection to nature. Francis saw all of creation as bearing the imprint of God. Therefore, he referred to all elements in nature – sun, moon, water, earth, birds, animals – as Brother, Sister, and Mother. As a result, Francis is known as the patron saint of ecologists. To learn more about Francis of Assisi, you can go to: https://www.biography.com/religious-figure/saint-francis-of-assisi

I have always had a deep affection for St. Francis. Then a few years ago, I discovered devotionals written by Franciscan Friar, Father Richard Rohr who founded The Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The CAC’s mission is to help people use contemplative practices to inform actions that transform the world into a more connected and just world. You can read all about the Center for Action and Contemplation here: https://cac.org

This week Father Rohr’s devotionals have been centered on “Sensing Nature” and, no surprise, St. Francis is heavily referenced. Today’s message was particularly meaningful to me. “When we get away from the voices of human beings, then we really start hearing the voices of animals and trees. They start talking to us, as it were. And we start talking back.” (link to Oct. 12, 2021 devotional https://cac.org/sensing-nature-2021-10-12/) And that’s what happens to me whenever I give myself time to be still and listen.

These are my women, this is my territory, Stay Away!

I love Wendall Berry’s poem, “The Peace of Wild Things”

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel around me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world and am free.

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The Trees Whisper …

October 4, 2021 Debra Coe 6 Comments

We returned to Austin a few days ago from our Fall photography workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park which was led by our dear friend, Austin-based professional photographer, Kevin Gourley (Workshop Link). I had longed to take this four-day workshop for years knowing it would be superb, but it far exceeded my expectations. Each day began at dark-thirty to enable us to drive from Castle Mountain Lodge where we all stayed into Rocky Mountain National Park in time to catch the sunrise. I’m not an early morning riser and typically like a leisurely two cups of coffee before considering getting dressed, so for me to say, “Wow! It was so worth it!” is high praise. If you are looking for an outstanding outdoor photography workshop, I’d highly recommend contacting Kevin. I hear next year’s RMNP Summer and Fall workshops are already filling up.

There’s something majestic about quietly trekking up a trail at dawn to catch the first rays of sun coming up over the mountains. Although this happens every day, it’s as though each sunrise seems to lay out a welcome mat saying, “Good Morning! This day is a gift that not everyone will receive today. Use this day wisely. Pay attention to the gifts it brings, for it will not come again.”

Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 6:19 am, September 18, 2021

Most impressive to me are the trees that call these mountains home. At a distance, they may appear to be somewhat uniform, but up close, the variety is astonishing. Conifers including the Douglas-fir, Colorado Blue Spruce, Lodgepole Pine and Ponderosa Pine each with their own unique shape, height, and shade of green are among the evergreens that grow thick in these mountains. My favorite tree though is the deciduous Quaking Aspen. Although beautiful in varying shades of lighter green in Spring and Summer with tiny leaves that twist on their stems and seem to shimmer in the breeze, the Aspen reaches its peak of beauty in the Fall. Greens and lime greens give way to yellows, oranges and even reds that contrast spectacularly with the deep colors of the evergreens. Sometimes, entire mountainsides are filled with these bright patches of color, and at other times the oranges and reds are only lightly interspersed among the deep greens creating a breath-taking contrast of color.

Some people dread Fall knowing it means the end of Summer and that Winter is not far away. But I love the reminder the Aspens seem to give joyfully shouting, “Look! Life may be changing, but it is still delightful and beautiful! Don’t be filled with worry over what may come. Each season has its gifts to share with those with eyes to see.”

Speaking of trees, a couple of months ago, a dear friend thrust a book in my hand and said, “You have to read this!” Because this particular friend is not prone to be quite so enthusiastic about his book endorsements, I took his recommendation and not only read the book, but listened to the audible version with Tom on this trip. The Pulitzer Prize winning, “The Overstory,” by Richard Powers is a brilliant novel in which disparate characters are impacted by trees and come together to understand and support the critical role trees play in our co-mingled planetary life. Although I’ve always been a “tree hugger,” this book filled me with a deep sense of awe for this part of creation that far predates humankind. I’d heartily recommend reading “The Overstory, but until you have time to read it, here’s a poem written by noted poet, Mary Oliver. I love her insight into this lesson we can learn from trees.

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.”

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So, go easy, my friends. Know deeply that “you, are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

Shine brightly in an often dark and frightening world.

Journeys to the Horizon

Monthly Archives: October 2021

Small Wonders

The Peace of Wild Things

The Trees Whisper …