Details

Often when I am on a photo walk my eye is caught by patterns and details in the landscape or architecture around me. The possibilities for fascination are endless. I only have to have an eye open to seeing within the larger picture.

Fascination with creation is one way we connect with God’s Spirit. After all, the Creator is endlessly fascinating, and God’s creation is a reflection of that creative spirit. Walking around with my camera encourages me to slow down and notice what’s around me.

Because of convenience and because I am a creature of habit, I often walk the same routes, which much of the time pass along the waters of a river or harbor. There’s a sense of expansiveness there, with long views and wide open skies.

The challenge often is to see something new or something old in a new way–how the setting sun illuminates the side of a tree or building, how a gull is perching on some old pilings, how the calm water reflects the light of the adjacent scene.

Noticing leads to wonder, which leads to joy and gratitude for the gifts of creation which have been given to me. God’s gifts are given for a purpose. What gifts do I notice? Where will my gratitude lead me?

“This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’” (Matthew 13:13)