Colors of Nature

Just a few photos to encourage you, reader, to take a walk and enjoy the scenery around you. Wherever you are, you're bound to find something that opens your eyes to a world brimming with life and beauty. 

Doing It

When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. -Walt Disney

I love this quote, not only because one of my favorite role models mentioned it, but also because it's true. Not many people are willing to see this through nowadays - we're more worried about treading on toes or being politically correct. What would happen if, for one week, people stepped out of their boxes and actually said what they thought? I'm not saying by any means to go about this in an obnoxious, forceful way - I mean the opposite. I wonder why we can't seem to connect belief and kindness, though. Why is this? Either we're loving to the point of absolute silence (which isn't really loving, as it turns out), or we're outspoken about our beliefs to the point of rudeness. In a way, connecting the two is just as much of an art as painting or performing. Everything has to match up - if the heart is wrong, the outlook will be wrong. If the the outlook is wrong, the impression and reaction will be wrong. So just think: if we're able to reverse this common mistake, how much will it change? It all starts with belief, and once that's in place you'll find the way to do it.

Promise

Sundays are wonderful because they're more than just a day of rest. They're a promise that the six upcoming days are a chance to start over from last week, to try harder, and make something beautiful out of last week's errors. In this way, Sundays, rainbows, and Spring itself are such an incredible reminder that God is always there - always with you. And because He loves us so much, He continually gives us a chance to restart, and the chance to persevere even if it seems like we've missed the goal. Sunday allows us to recharge and rethink, so we can hit the ground on Monday running. I wish you, reader, the opportunity to rest, and I hope you have a lovely Sunday.

Perfect Day

These are the lyrics to one of my favorite childhood songs - if you, reader, have ever watched the film version of Peter Rabbit, this song is played at the end. I think it's lovely, very peaceful. 

The rain has moved on

And left a new day

Nothing seems to move everything is still

It's just a perfect day

The shadows and light

That move with the wind

Hidden violets grow splashed with summer spray

Just another perfect day

On the wild and misty hillside

Fear is nature's warning

Hunger here is never far away

And all of this world

Is for children who play

Days that never end always should remain

Another perfect day

Finally, the link if you're interested in listening for yourself :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUOjErmc0JM

Happiness

Why is it that, unlike youngsters, it takes so much for us to be happy and satisfied about things? My two-year-old sister asked one of my brothers to play "Piggy Market" with her yesterday. He began, "This little piggy went to market..." She was thrilled. Such simple little pleasures delight children, make their day. Why is it that as we get older, we need so much more than that to make us content?

At last, Spring is here!

Because it's my second favorite season, it deserves some photos... :)

Saturday Stroll

If you happen upon a spare sunny Saturday afternoon, definitely consider a walkabout through D.C. - no telling what adventures await you (not to mention photo opportunities!).

Oliphaunt

Because it's one of my favorites...

Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake,
I make the earth shake,
As I tramp through the grass;
Trees crack as I pass.
I walk in the South,
Flapping big ears.
Beyond count of years
I stomp round and round,
Never lie on the ground,
Not even to die.
Oliphaunt am I,
Biggest of all,
Huge old and tall.
If ever you'd met me,
You wouldn't forget me.
If you never do,
You won't think I'm true;
But old Oliphaunt am I,
And I never lie.
--Tolkien

The Jungle

Reading through Upton Sinclair's The Jungle has really made me think. While I'm well aware of his socialistic intentions, I can't repress the anguish I feel for this poor immigrant family. They've tried everything to make ends meet, all they dreamt of was a better life for themselves and future generations - yet at every turn one tragic outcome outdoes the last. I'm torn between two thoughts: has Sinclair really overstepped his boundaries and painted too dark a picture? Or is this the truth from a man who lived in the slums himself and saw how the "other half" lives? I live in a comfortable home in which the only worries I have are skipping a meal or preparing for a test. Can I judge their circumstances when I will most likely never face even a fraction of their troubles? This makes me want to start a ministry somewhere in the city, or open a home in the country where less privileged folks can turn in.
On the other hand, I find it somewhat amusing to look at this book's goal from Sinclair's perspective: his idea was to turn capitalism on its head and draw the majority to his solution, socialism. While most everyone overlooked the Rudkus family in favor of sausage reform, there are some who saw the real point of his book. And yet it still failed to accomplish his goal. When I read about the factory overseers and upperclassmen, what I see are horrendous examples of thievery and cheating, with a capitalistic coverup. Sinclair's view of capitalism is twisted, just like his view of Christianity - it's murky and people only use it when it suits their needs. He's only looking at a small percentage of the real problem: worldview. If the people's hearts are in the wrong place, of course they'll seek to fill it with something else, money and trickery. Sinclair and his characters don't need socialism - they need Light. Until that piece is in place, the puzzle won't ever work.