Sunday, December 28, 2008

It's just a Plumaria, right?


Can you see it -- there, in the picture. Look closely. Squint if you have to. Do one of those Magic Eye tricks where you focus "beyond" the picture. Look through it. Look into it. Look before it. Come on, tell me what you see.

Sunlight? Yep, I see that too. Rainwater? Well, actually I see an early morning dew. The gardener? Oh, he is a happy fellow, with light brown skin and old tattered sandals. He is gently pruning the plant, rushing a bit now, as the call to prayer has begun. Off like a shot, he's headed toward the mosque. It's only a few steps from the courtyard where this Plumaria grows.

It was tradition that moved him out of the garden. Only tradition. For surely he was visiting with God just a moment ago. You saw that too, didn't you? You see that when you look deeply into that photo, don't you? That is why I took it, and that is why I posted it here. And why you are visiting now.
God changes appearances every second. Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises. One moment he is a glass of fresh water; the next, your son bouncing on your knees, or an enchanting woman, or perhaps merely a morning walk.
-- Nikos Kazantzakis


The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.
The strength of the fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars.

-- Chief Dan George

If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

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