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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