Beauty in Contrasts

It's cold here. The very dregs of winter, but today we had a little respite. It's sunny, in the 30's and the house is glowing. I seem to observe color better in light like this. One thing I noticed was how my embroidery floss keeper creates this wonderful little color palette.

Sometimes little observations of beauty can seem like unexpected gifts. For a moment you stop and appreciate the world around you. The gift is the moment- for a small bit of time you are totally present and engaged with the world around you. That is part of why I love flowers. A flower in full bloom is at a particular moment in its life cycle. It catches my attention. The Dutch Masters painted beautiful bouquets with flowers that were in all stages of growth. Buds, full bloom, and in the different phases of decay. They were painting time and saw beauty in each stage of it. Perhaps I need to appreciate that because it is white and cold and so very very winter outside, the beauty of color and flowers inside creates such contrast that it arrests my attention. Early Christian churches were actually created plain and unassuming on the exterior so that when one walked in they were amazed by the glorious golden contrast of the interior. It was a comparison that was supposed to exemplify the difference between this life and the afterlife in heaven. It's a wonderful thought!