The things we seldom notice

    I was just looking out the window here at the office this morning and noticed what a beautiful picture was right in front of me. I grabbed my phone and snapped this picture before anything could change. As I deal with the loss of a close friend this week, it seems that there is not a lot to look forward to, or to feel good about. I was wrong. There is always beauty and good things that are around us that we too often fail to notice.

    We get too wrapped up in our daily routines, and the mad rush to get things done to really appreciate things that simply are. I saw the scene out the window and decided that for once, I was going to act on my momentary impulse and enjoy it.

     The first thing that struck me was the colors of the trees. I think that there is a little bit of every autumn color in this picture. The lighting from the sun as it rises just sets things off perfectly. Before the phone starts ringing and the email starts flowing in, I am just cherishing this image. Remembering the things that I see right now gives me a sense of peace.

     I really need to feel that sense of peace right now because I am hurting over the loss of my friend. I have offered help to his family, but so far things are being handled by the extended families and those friends that are physically closer to them. I know that this is a time where my friend's wife and family are dealing with far too much input from those around them, and I am keeping myself separate from things at this stage. I hope that I am able to comfort them if they need it at some point.

     The picture shows things as they are, no judgements or opinions or feelings to be hurt. The picture just shows the passing of the season and the inevitability of change, for better or worse. Perhaps that is why the image struck me so suddenly this morning. The beauty of what is always around us is something to cherish, and a loss is not something to make us stop admiring the world that we live in.